GAME DETAILS
WHERE: Lahaina Civic Cente, Maui, HI
WHEN: Tuesday, November 22nd at 1:30 PM
WATCH IT ON: ESPN2
SERIES HISTORY: Texas Tech leads 1-0 all-time. The Red Raiders upset the No.1 ranked Cardinals 70-57 in 2019 in only previous matchup.
ODDS: Texas Tech -13.5
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: LOUISVILLE
2021 RECORD: 13-19 (6-14 ACC)
HEAD COACH: Kenny Payne
2022 RECORD: 0-4
The Kenny Payne era at Louisville is off to about as bad a start as possible. The Cardinals have started the season 0-4 with three losses coming against Bellarmine, Wright State, and Appalachian State - all at home. Louisville began the Maui Invitational on Monday with a 80-54 thumping at the hands of No. 9 Arkansas and now face the No. 21 Texas Tech Red Raiders, a draw that does Kenny Payne's squad no favors as they try to avoid an 0-5 start.
Three Cardinals to keep an eye on:
1) El Ellis (6-3, G)
Far and away the Cardinals' best player so far this year, El Ellis has been somewhat of a diamond in the rough for Kenny Payne. The two-time JUCO All-American and 2021 No.1 overall JUCO prospect transferred to Louisville last year and was one of the top scorers on the team. This season he's got off to a good start scoring-wise, averaging 20 points per game on just around 40% efficiency. Ellis will take a lot of shots and probably score the most points for Louisville most nights but has struggled quite a bit with turnovers so far, averaging just under 6 per game with 7 most recently against Arkansas.
2) Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6-10, F)
A nice inside presence for the Cardinals, Huntley-Hatfield struggled mightily against Arkansas but has had success this year as a scorer and rebounder. The 6-10 forward was a five-star recruit and committed to Tennessee before entering the transfer portal and eventually taking his talents to Louisville for the 2022-23 season. Huntley-Hatfield leads the Cardinals in rebounding and field goal percentage and has averaged 8.0 points, 1.3 assists, and 7.0 rebounds per game this season.
3) Jae'lyn Withers (6-9, F)
Withers started the season strong with 17 and 15-point performances against Bellarmine and Wright State before cooling off in the Cardinals' last two games. Still, the 6-9 forward is Louisville's second-leading scorer and rebounder at 9.8 and 4.5 respectively. Withers isn't the best ball-handler and can be reckless at times, so it will be interesting to see how he and the Louisville offense fare against Mark Adams' defense.
MATCHUP PREDICTION
This Louisville team has been bad.
The Cardinals have struggled with turning the ball over so far this season (20 per game), something that doesn't bode particularly well when facing a defensive squad like Texas Tech. In fact, during Monday's contest against Arkansas, Louisville had just 4 assists compared to 22 total turnovers, a stat indicative of the many struggles the Cardinals have faced so far this year. The Red Raiders forced 13 first-half turnovers against Creighton and should have similar success in game two if the Cardinals aren't able to figure out how to control the ball better. Louisville has also struggled with efficiency this year, shooting below 40% from the field in two of four games and below 40% from three in all four.
I think the Tech defense has a big game and the Red Raiders bounce back in dominating fashion in Maui.
Score Prediction
Texas Tech - 70
Louisville - 55
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