KFC Yum! Center will host Wade Houston Tipoff Classic Monday, Nov 23 2020 

ACC basketball and basketball and Carlik Jones and COVID-19 and Duquesne Basketball and Evansville Basketball and KFC Yum! Center and Little Rock Basketball and malik williams and Prairie View Basketball and seton hall basketball and Southern Illinois Basketball and sports and U of L men's basketball and UNC Greensboro Basketball and Wade Houston Classic and Winthrop Basketball and WKU Basketball John McCarthy 5:00 pm

By John McCarthy–

The University of Louisville men’s basketball team had to hurdle many obstacles to host the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alas, the schedule for the season-opening event at the KFC Yum! Center is on.

U of L will begin their season on Nov. 25 at 4 p.m. against Evansville University. Prairie View A & M vs. Little Rock University will follow.

But Louisville’s season opener on the 25th is only the beginning of the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic. U of L will face off against Seton Hall on Nov. 27. Prairie View A & M will challenge the Cardinals on Nov. 29. Western Kentucky University will come into town to face U of L on Dec. 1. To wrap up the event, UNC Greensboro will come to Louisville to face the Cardinals on Dec. 4.

Nine schools will enter the Wade Houston Classic, playing 16 games in total. The KFC Yum! Center will host all of the games for the Wade Houston Classic, which will stretch over a ten-day span. Louisville, Duquesne, Evansville, Little Rock, Prairie View A&M, Seton Hall, UNC Greensboro, Western Kentucky and Winthrop will all be participating in the event.

Winthrop University was a late entry into the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Southern Illinois University was originally slated to be apart of the event but withdrew because of safety concerns.

The Cardinals will look to tackle Evansville on Nov. 25. U of L will be starting their season without senior captain Malik Williams. Louisville will look to fellow senior captain Carlik Jones to lead the way at home against Evansville.

File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal

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Men’s basketball captain out 12 weeks with foot injury Tuesday, Nov 10 2020 

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By John McCarthy–

University of Louisville men’s basketball forward/center Malik Williams is out 12 weeks with an apparent foot injury. The senior captain will miss the beginning of the 2020-2021 season with the Cardinals.

Williams returns to Louisville’s men’s basketball program as the most experienced player on the roster. His foot injury resides from a fracture found on his fifth metatarsal in the right foot. Williams will be undergoing foot surgery this week to repair the fracture.

This is the second season in a row that Williams was named team captain. Throughout his career with the Cardinals, Williams has collected 604 points and 444 rebounds. In the 2019-2020 season, Williams had 15+ points in his last 22 games.

“I feel for Malik. He is everything a coach could ask for in a person, player, and captain, so my heart aches for him. Our team will miss his presence on the court during his time away. I feel for our fans as well who love watching and supporting Malik’s play,” Louisville Head Coach Chris Mack said.

Williams finished as the runner-up in the 2019-2020 ACC Sixth Man of the Year award voting. He scored double figures ten times as a junior and 23 times total throughout his collegiate career at U of L. Last season Williams finished 19th in the ACC in rebounding.

This the second consecutive season that the Cardinals will have to begin the season with Williams on the sideline. Last year Williams had the same fifth metatarsal injury in his right foot that caused him to miss U of L’s season opener. Williams’ Cardinal teammates, coaches, and fans wish him a healthy recovery ahead of the 2020-2021 season.

File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal

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UK & U of L basketball at odds over location of this year’s matchup Tuesday, Oct 20 2020 

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By John McCarthy–

University of Louisville men’s basketball head coach Chris Mack recently expressed his concern regarding the location of U of L’s matchup with its in-state rival, the University of Kentucky this season.

Because of complications due to COVID-19, Mack suggested that playing Kentucky at a neutral site would minimize the risk of complications or restrictions.

John Calipari, head coach of UK’s men’s basketball, strongly disagreed with Mack on the rescheduling of this year’s commonwealth matchup to a neutral location.

U of L would have to host Kentucky at the Yum! Center this season without fans in attendance. Kentucky on the other hand would potentially be able to host fans and students when Louisville heads to Rupp Arena for the Cardinals and Wildcats 2021-2022 season matchup.

“Chris and I have talked and he expressed his concerns. While I understand the difficulty and the complications created by the pandemic, we are prepared to come to Louisville to play this season under the previously agreed terms,” Calipari said.

Via U of L and Kentucky’s contract, each school trades off home-court advantage year by year. If the 2020-21 matchup were to be rescheduled to a neutral site, it would cause turmoil prior to next year’s face off.

File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal

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Malik Williams and Carlik Jones named 2020 men’s basketball captains Thursday, Oct 15 2020 

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By John McCarthy–

Senior Malik Williams and graduate transfer Carlik Jones have been chosen as captains for the 2020 Louisville men’s basketball season.

“As voted on by their teammates, seniors Malik Williams and Carlik Jones have been named captains for this year’s team,” Louisville head coach Chris Mack said.

Williams comes into his senior season with the Cardinals showing an impressive collegiate resume. He was the runner-up for the ACC Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2019-2020 season. Williams hit double-digit scoring totals ten times in his junior season. He averaged eight points and six rebounds per game in his junior year.

Jones will come into the Louisville men’s basketball as one of the nation’s more highly-scouted graduate transfers. Jones comes from Radford University, where he averaged 20 points, six assists, five rebounds and one steal per game. He helped lead Radford to their second-straight conference championship with a 21-11 record. Jones is the only Division-I player to average 20 points, five rebounds and five assists last season.

The Cardinals will look to Williams and Jones to help lead them toward the top of the ACC standings. “Our team is fortunate to have terrific leadership and it starts with these two. Their experience, ability to lead, and toughness have been evident throughout the offseason and preseason,” said Mack.

File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal

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Louisville men’s basketball team protests through Belknap campus for equality Tuesday, Sep 29 2020 

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By John McCarthy–

The University of Louisville men’s basketball team marched through Belknap campus Sept. 25, calling for racial equality.

Many members of the community surrounding U of L and students walked alongside the men’s basketball team to help promote equality peacefully. “The turnout was greater than we could have imagined. This is exactly what we envisioned, getting our message out about inequality, discrimination, racism, and hate,” said senior Malik Williams.

Multiple players from the men’s basketball team talked to the crowd before beginning the march. They urged everyone to protest peacefully as they marched. Louisville Metro Police Department was present during the march to help provide barricades along the march path.

The march started at the Thortons Academic Center and toured through U of L’s Belknap Campus. The march lasted for about an hour. Louisville men’s basketball head coach Chris Mack attended the march with his players.

“I understand as a white guy, a 50-year old, that Black America is hurting,” said Mack.

The team did not discuss any matters relating to the upcoming 2020-2021 basketball season. Instead, they encourage listeners to register to vote. The Cardinals asked everyone to join them at Shawnee Park Oct. 3 for a voter registration event. The event will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal

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