Louisville Cardinals guard Adrian Woolley (14) drives while NC State Wolfpack guard Terrence Arseno (21) defends during an ACC basketball game in Louisville, Kentucky, on February 9, 2026. Louisville and Syracuse are looking for answers in the upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
The Cardinals host the Orange on Tuesday, with both teams looking to break out of multi-game funks.
Louisville (20-9, 9-7 ACC) fell out of the AP Top 25 after two losses last week. They lost 77-74 in first place at the time. 18 North Carolina loses 80-75 to Clemson. Against the Tigers, the Cardinals were doomed by a 10-for-36 3-pointer and a defense that couldn’t stop key players throughout the game.
“We’re struggling. We’re struggling and we’re trying to figure it out,” said Louisville coach Pat Kelsey, whose team was led by Adrian Woolley (17 points) and Ryan Cornwell (15 points). “I told my guys that this is not the time to repeat small things and make big things out of them. We cannot allow that to happen, especially when we are playing against a really tough team in a tough stadium and we think we are going to win.”
The Cardinals will certainly be happy to be back at home, where they are 14-2 this season. In fact, a home game against the Orange (15-14, 6-10) might be just what the doctor ordered.
Syracuse has dropped three straight games, most recently losing 88-83 at Wake Forest.
Donnie Freeman scored a career-high 28 points in the game and Nate Kingz added 20 points. The pair combined for nine 3-pointers and the Orange shot 50 percent from beyond the arc on 26 attempts, but they continued to have issues on the defensive end.
“It’s been a tough year for us,” Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said. “In college, you have to be tough. You have to work hard. You have to play tough. You have to be resistant. You have to be able to defend. And you know, we don’t do that.”
Louisville won last season’s matchup with Syracuse 85-61 after dropping six of the previous seven meetings.
–Field level media
