Orange Clashes With #1 Cards Saturday

Syracuse at Louisville
Game Details	Saturday, Jan. 19 \| Louisville, Ky. \| 4:00 p.m.
Game Coverage	TV: ESPN \| ESPN3 Radio: Syracuse IMG Radio Network \| TK 99.5 FM Orange All Access: Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @cuse
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
LouisvilleLinks	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Top 10 teams collide when No. 6/6 Syracuse visits No. 1/1 Louisville on Saturday, Jan. 19. Tipoff at the KFC Yum! Center is set for 4 p.m. Both teams enter the contest with identical 16-1 records and are tied for the top spot in the BIG EAST with 4-0 marks in league play.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN3. Fans can listen to the action on the Syracuse IMG Radio Network and its flagship TK99 (99.5 FM). Live audio will be available on Orange All Access on SUathletics.com. Subscriptions to Orange All Access are available at daily, monthly and yearly rates.

ORANGE VS. NO. 1
Syracuse will take on the No. 1 ranked team in the nation for the 11th time in school history on Saturday. The Orange has won two of its last four meetings against the top-ranked club but has an overall record of 3-7 against the best team in the country.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ORANGE
Syracuse extended its home winning streak to 34 games with a 72-61 victory against Villanova on Saturday, Jan. 12 in the Carrier Dome. Junior C.J. Fair led the Orange with 22 points, including 11 during a six-minute span of the second half.

Both teams struggled at the onset, as the game was tied, 8-8, nine minutes into the contest. The remainder of the first half featured five more ties as Villanova took a 29-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Wildcats opened the second half with a pair of free throws before Fair hit a layup and a three-pointer to put the Orange ahead, 32-31. Villanova tied the game at 34-34 but Fair answered with two jumpers and two free throws to give SU the lead for good at 40-34 with 13:46 remaining.

Leading 51-47 with 8:02 on the clock, freshman Jerami Grant converted a layup that stared the Orange on a 10-0 scoring run that put the game out of reach. Fair followed Grant's layup with a jumper and redshirt freshman Trevor Cooney hit back-to-back three-pointers to cap the run.

Grant finished with a career-high 13 points, while senior Brandon Triche and sophomore Michael Carter-Williams added 10 points apiece.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Louisville enters Saturday's game on a 12-game winning streak, which has improved its record to 16-1. The Cardinals' only loss this season was a 76-71 setback against Duke at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Russ Smith leads the team and ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring, averaging 18.9 points per game. Peyton Siva and Chane Behanan also are averaging double figures in scoring, contributing 11.8 and 11.4 points per game, respectively. Gorgue Dieng has played in 10 games this season and is averaging 10.4 rebounds per contest. Siva, who is a finalist for the Cousy Award, leads the team in assists with 96.

Rick Pitino is in his 12th season at Louisville. During his tenure, he has guided the Cardinals to a record of 291-107 and two appearances in the Final Four. Previously, Pitino served as the head coach at Boston University, Providence and Kentucky as well as the NBA's New York Knicks.

THE SERIES
Syracuse has won the last two meetings between the two schools but trails in the all-time series, 13-6. Louisville won seven consecutive games against the Orange from the 2006-07 season through 2010-11.

UP NEXT…
Syracuse hosts Cincinnati on Monday, Jan. 21 at 3:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse University Athletics

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