NC State’s Abdul-Malik Abu dunks against the Villanova Wildcats in the second half during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. (Getty)
Two years ago Louisville won the national championship. Last year the Cardinals advanced to the Sweet 16. This year has been a roller-coaster season, but head coach Rick Pitino has put his experience to use as he continues to lead his Cardinals squad through the tournament. In the round of 64, No. 4 Louisville slid past No. 13 UC Irvine. Then the Cardinals knocked off No. 5 UNI to advance to the Sweet 16.
Louisville will take on ACC foe NC State. Although No. 8 NC State had an early dismissal in last year’s tournament with an overtime loss to Saint Louis in the round of 64, the Wolfpack held strong this season and earned a bid to the dance as a committee-selected team. In the round of 64, NC State routed No. 9 LSU and then pulled an upset over No. 1 Villanova to keep their season alive for another week.
Here’s what you need to know about the game:
The Basics
Who:
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 8 NC State
What:
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
When:
Friday, March 27
Where:
Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York
Bracket Region:
East
Time:
7:37 p.m. Eastern
Channel:
TBS
Line:
Keep up with OddsShark and its betting-focused matchup preview.
Scouting Louisville
Record: 26-8 overall, 12-6 ACC
Coach: Rick Pitino, 14th season
Offensive Points Per Game: 69.2
Defensive Points Allowed Per Game: 59.4
Scoring Leaders: Terry Rozier, 17.0
Rebounding Leader: Montrezl Harrell, 9.3
Assists Leader: Chris Jones, 3.6
Scouting NC State
Record: 22-13 overall, 10-8 ACC
Coach: Mark Gottfried, 4th season
Offensive Points Per Game: 70.4
Defensive Points Allowed Per Game: 65.5
Scoring Leaders: Trevor Lacey, 15.7
Rebounding Leader: Lennard Freeman, 5.7
Assists Leader: Anthony Barber, 3.7
