Louisville, KY – The Louisville Cardinals are traveling to Pittsburgh on Saturday to face their former Big East rival, the Pittsburgh Panthers. This game comes just a few days after the Cards’ huge win over Clemson at the KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday evening. The Cards continue to ride hot, winning 5 straight games. PK and the Cards have yet to lose in 2025, but they will have their hands full with a tough Pittsburgh team Saturday, at the Petersen Events Center. Let’s break it down.

The Pittsburgh Panthers come into Saturday’s matchup with a record of 12-3 and a 3-1 record in conference play. Pittsburgh has won 5 out of their last 6, with their most recent game being a blowout loss Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor. The Panthers are only a half-game behind the Cards in the ACC standings, so they will be looking to jump the Cards in the standings with a win on Saturday.

Pittsburgh is led by head coach, Jeff Capel. This is Capel’s 7th year for the Panthers, with a 190-95 record at Pitt. The Panthers are coming off a 20+ win last season but missed the NCAA tournament and declined their NIT bid. Capel is known for being one of the better player-developing coaches in the country and has produced 19 1st round draft picks, 11 of them being lottery picks.

Pitt comes into Saturday’s matchup with one of the best backcourts in the ACC. The Panthers are led by senior guard Ishmael Leggett and sophomore guard Jaland Lowe. Both guards are incredibly talented and can play both ends of the floor very well. Leggett leads the Panthers in points, averaging 16.8, which is 8th in the ACC. He is a consistent scorer and has recorded 20 or more points in 5 games this season. There have been only 2 games in the year where he has scored less than 10 points. Leggett is also a great rebounding guard, averaging 5.8 rebounds per game, which is tied for 2nd on the team and only 0.1 behind their leading rebounder, Guillermo Diaz Graham. Leggett is also great on the defensive end, averaging 1.7 steals per game, which is 6th in the ACC.

The Panthers are also led by stud sophomore guard Jarland Lowe. Lowe is one of the best passing guards in the ACC, averaging almost 6 assists per contest (5.9apg). This ranks him 2nd in the ACC and 23rd in the nation. Lowe can do more than just pass. Lowe is averaging 16.7ppg (9th in ACC), which is only 0.1 behind Leggett, who leads the team. Not only is Lowe a great offensive player, but he is great on the defensive end too. He leads the team averaging almost 2 steals per game (1.9spg), which is 5th in the ACC. Watch for him and Leggett to lead the Panthers on Saturday.

Another player to keep an eye on Saturday is Cameron Corhen. The 6’10 junior from Allen, TX, is averaging 5.8 rebounds, which is 2nd on the team. He also averages 10.9 points per game, which is 3rd on the team, behind Leggett and Lowe. Corhen's game has improved since the beginning of December. In the last 5 games, Corhen has scored 15 points or more twice, and clocked a 19-point,11 rebound game against Cal on 1/1. Corhen also had a solid outing last game in their loss against Duke, bringing in 11 points and 7 rebounds. Corhen is someone to keep an eye on.

PK made a statement with an impressive 74-64 win over Clemson on Tuesday night. Clemson came in the Yum! Center ranked in the top 3 of the ACC, and the Cards took care of business and got a huge win. J’Vonne Hadley had his best game of the season on Tuesday, with a career high 32 points. Hadley also added 10 rebounds, which was tied for the most in Tuesday’s contest. James Scott had another huge game versus the Tigers. Scott clocked in an 11-point ,10-rebound double-double against Clemson and has continued to improve each game. For the Cards to make a deep run in March, James Scott will need to continue his fantastic play.

To win on Saturday, the Cards need to continue to play sound defense. Coming into Saturday, KenPom ranks the Cards offense 42nd and their defense 46th, with a 37th ranking overall. PK and company have this team playing their best basketball right now but will be tested with a very tough Pittsburgh team. To no surprise, KenPom ranks the Panthers in the top 25 in offense (22nd), and a top 50 defense ranking at 47th. KenPom has Capel and company with an overall ranking at 27th.

The Cards’ backcourt will have a big task against Leggett and Lowe on Saturday. If our backcourt can contain Leggett and Lowe, and we can continue to shoot well on the road, I like the Cards’ chances to sneak out of Pittsburgh with a big conference win.

For the Cards, a road win on Saturday would be huge for their tournament resume and if they can win, they will extend their winning streak to 6 games. A win will keep the Cards in the top 2 in the ACC standings. FanDuel has the Cards 4.5-point underdogs on Saturday against Pittsburgh.

You can catch the Cards in action on Saturday at noon on ESPN2. Go Cards!