Five men’s basketball players named to All-ACC Academic team Wednesday, May 27 2020 

All-ACC Academic Team and APR and basketball and CoSIDA and darius perry and dwayne sutton and Fresh Kimble and Grant Williams and jordan nwora and Ryan McMahon and Samuell Williamson and sports and steven enoch Cole Emery 7:20 pm

By Cole Emery–

The University of Louisville men’s basketball team ranked among the top 10 percent in academic success in the most recent Academic Progress Rate data released by the NCAA on May 12. 

“We are extremely proud of the academic success our basketball program has achieved in the recent years,” Head Coach Chris Mack said. “The APR speaks to speaks to the achievement and retention of our student-athletes we are fortunate to coach.”

This marks the seventh time in the last eight years the men’s basketball team has received recognition from the NCAA Academic Performance Program. The only other school in the Power Five conferences to achieve this recognition in seven of the past eight seasons is Stanford. 

Collectively, the men’s basketball team attained a 3.0 GPA in 22 of the last 24 semesters. During the 2020 spring semester, the team achieved a 3.160 team GPA. Among the 16 players on the team, 10 of the student-athletes finished the semester with a 3.0 GPA or better. Junior Jordan Nwora and freshman Samuell Williamson successfully finished this past semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA. The Cardinals strive for academic success in the classroom and feels it will help them on the basketball court.

“We wholeheartedly believe the academic success has a direct correlation to athletic success,” Mack said. “Pushing oneself to do the best in every area speaks to character. You can’t win big if you don’t display character. We are extremely proud to have five All-Academic selections, and will continue to push our student-athletes in every way.”

Along with team success, the Cardinals also earned major individual academic awards over the past year. Nwora was named to the 2019 College Sports Information Directors of America, known as coSIDA, All-American second team. He is the fourth Louisville player to ever receive this honor. Nwora also earned his third straight All-ACC Academic Team honor.

Louisville and Pittsburgh were the only teams in the ACC to have five student-athletes named to the All-ACC Academic Team including Nwora, Williamson, Lamar “Fresh” Kimble, Ryan McMahon and Darius Perry. 

File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal

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Men’s basketball stung by the Yellow Jackets Thursday, Feb 20 2020 

basketball and David Sutton and dwayne sutton and Georgia Tech Basketball and malik williams and Samuell Williamson and sports and yellow jackets John McCarthy 3:14 pm

By John McCarthy —

The No. 5 Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team fell 64-58 to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Feb. 12.

This loss in Atlanta marked the end of the Cardinals 10-game winning streak.

The Yellow Jackets played Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center Jan. 22, only losing by four points in a game where Georgia Tech led for half of the game.

Louisville struggled in the first half, shooting a lackluster 34.8 percent. They only sank one of their seven three-pointers.

Both the Cardinals and Yellow Jackets turned the ball over nine times in the first half. The rebound and assist totals were close. The Yellow Jackets just had the hotter hand from the field, shooting 45 percent.

Junior Malik Williams led the way for the Cardinals in the first half off the bench, contributing nine points and four rebounds. Freshman Samuell Williamson had five points and three rebounds in the first half off the bench.

Yellow Jackets junior Jose Alvarado bottomed 11 points and grabbed a pair of rebounds. Senior James Banks III bucketed eight points and brought down two rebounds.

The Cardinals shot better in the second half and ended the game shooting 41 percent from the field. Although Louisville struggled from three in the first half, they swished five three-pointers in the second half that kept them within striking distance of the Yellow Jackets.

The Cardinals went cold from the free-throw line in the second half. They ended the game shooting 61 percent from the free-throw line. This score was close the entire way and the largest lead the Yellow Jackets had was eight points.

The main difference between the two teams was Georgia Tech’s plus-six margin on the defensive glass, which turned into extra offensive possessions. Georgia Tech ended the game with five players scoring double digits.

Senior Dwayne Sutton ended the game with nine points and ten rebounds. Freshman David Johnson came off the bench to score 16 points, dish two assists and hustle for five rebounds. Williams totaled 16 points and eight rebounds.

Inside the last minute of the game, the Cardinals came within one point of Georgia Tech three times, but could not overcome the deficit.

Louisville will look to start another winning streak when they visit Clemson Feb. 14. The Tigers are 9-5 this season at home and are on a one-game winning streak.

File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal

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Men’s basketball blow out Clemson at home Wednesday, Feb 5 2020 

basketball and darius perry and david johnson and jordan nwora and KFC Yum! Center and Samuell Williamson and sports and steven enoch Cole Emery 9:48 am

By John McCarthy — 

The No. 6 Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team topped the Clemson Tigers at the KFC Yum! Center Jan. 25. 

Louisville’s objective was to capitalize on the defensive side of the ball. Louisville wanted to contain Clemson’s pesky guards and did just that.

The Cardinals (17-3, 8-1) shot 66 percent from the field and had a 20-0 run that put them securely out in front. 

Junior Darius Perry marked the scoring column first for the Cardinals with a jumper and a three-pointer. Senior Steven Enoch followed suit by sinking a corner three-pointer. 

Clemson (10-9, 4-5) junior Clyde Trapp responded with a three-pointer of his own. Perry quickly silenced Trapp’s response with another three-pointer for the Cardinals. Perry’s shot peaked a 31-9 lead for the Cardinals. 

Freshman Samuell Williamson provided an offensive boost off Louisville’s bench with 10 points in the opening half. 

Freshman David Johnson had six assists alone in the first half. Clemson trailed Louisville 47-26 going into halftime.

Louisville’s offensive productivity shined in the second half. The Cardinals bottomed five three-pointers, and Louisville defense was much improved from their last game. 

The Cardinals never let Clemson come within 15 points throughout the second half. 

Louisville wrapped up this win, shooting 48 percent from the field. In addition, they corralled 12 more rebounds than the Tigers. 

Clemson’s second half strategy was to foul often at the rim to slow the game down. Louisville did an impressive job from the charity stripe, making 18-22 free-throw attempts. 

Louisville only shot 28 percent in the second half but still maintained a substantial lead. The Tigers could not keep up with the Cardinals and fell 80-62.

Perry achieved his career high with 19 points and hustled for five rebounds. Junior Jordan Nwora had 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists. Williamson provided 14 points off the bench. Enoch grabbed seven rebounds and 11 points. Johnson added eight points, five rebounds and six assists.

Louisville will travel to Boston College Jan. 29 to play the Golden Eagles at 9 p.m.

Photo by Anna Claire Will // The Louisville Cardinal

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Nwora propelled Cardinals past Golden Eagles Friday, Jan 31 2020 

ACC basketball and basketball and darius perry and david johnson and dwayne sutton and Fresh Kimble and jordan nwora and Louisville Cardinals and No. 6 and Ryan McMahon and Samuell Williamson and sports and steven enoch Cole Emery 11:15 am

By John McCarthy —

The No. 6 Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team defeated the Boston College Golden Eagles 86-69 Jan. 29 at the Silvio Conte Forum. 

This is the sixth straight in-conference win for Louisville (18-3, 9-1). They have not lost a game since Jan. 4 when Florida State downed the Cardinals at home. Florida State and Duke both sit a game and a half back from Louisville in the ACC standings heading into February.

Junior Jordan Nwora chalked one up first for the Cardinals, hitting a mid-range jumper. Seconds later, Nwora sank another jump shot off an assist by graduate Fresh Kimble. Junior Darius Perry was next to mark the scoreboard with a contested layup in traffic. 

Freshman Jay Heath hit two three-pointers for Boston College (10-11, 4-6). Perry answered with a three-pointer of his own. After a 6-0 Boston College run beginning at the 16:34 mark, Louisville began to fire back. 

Perry bottomed another three-pointer to silence the Golden Eagles run. A minute later, Nwora sank a three-pointer off an assist by freshman David Johnson.

Johnson has been a much-needed spark of the Cardinals bench, providing vital assists to fuel Louisville’s offense. 

With 8:49 left in the first half, Nwora made a free-throw to tie the game 25-25. The Cardinals finished the half shooting 4-5 from deep, helping them take the lead at halftime 45-43.

In the second half, the seasoned dominance of Louisville took center stage. 

Senior Dwayne Sutton got the Cardinals started by converting both of his free-throws. A minute later, Nwora fought for two offensive rebounds in a single possession, on the second offensive rebound he tipped the ball in for two.

This momentum-swinging moment brought the Cardinals together. 

Senior Steven Enoch showed the same class of hustle soon after, grabbing an offensive board and tipping the ball in for two. 

At the 15:30 mark, Johnson stole the ball from the Boston College offense and made a timely pass to Nwora for the transition dunk. 

With five minutes left to play, freshman Samuell Williamson and Senior Ryan McMahon swished back to back three-pointers to solidify the lead for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals offense chemistry was too much for the Golden Eagles.

Nwora dazzled with 37 points and nine rebounds. Sutton had 10 points and three rebounds. Perry contributed 14 points and a pair of assists. Johnson dished out six assists and grabbed eight boards. 

The Cardinals will travel to North Carolina State Feb. 1 to play the Wolfpack at PNC Arena at 2 p.m. on ESPN. 

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No. 4 Men’s basketball defeats NCC 87-58 Tuesday, Nov 19 2019 

basketball and darius perry and jordan nwora and KFC Yum! Center and North Carolina Central and Samuell Williamson and sports and steven enoch Gabriel Wiest 10:49 pm

By Cole Emery–

Men’s basketball defeated North Carolina Central 87-58, Nov. 18 at the KFC Yum! Center.  This was the Cardinals fourth win of the season, with three of those at home court.

Making three of their first four shots pushed the No. 4 Cardinals to a 8-0 lead to start the game. This high field goal percentage foreshadowed what the rest of the game would look like from the high-scoring offense.

Louisville continued the onslaught by putting together a 19-4 run to finish out the first half 43-19. The first half point leaders were senior Steven Enoch and freshman Dwayne Sutton with 10 each. Junior Jordan Nwora also came in heavy with eight points.

In the second half North Carolina Central put up 39 points compared to the Cardinals 44 points. The substantial lead allowed the bench players to showcase the depth of this Louisville squad. The Cardinals were led by Nwora who scored 17 points with three rebounds.

Junior Darius Perry scored 11 points with seven assists. Freshman Samuell Williamson came off the bench for nine points with three rebounds, and freshman Aiden Igiehon also came off the bench to score three points with seven rebounds.

The Cardinals will be facing off against South Carolina Upstate in their next matchup. The game will be held Nov. 20 at the KFC Yum! Center at 7 p.m.

Photo by Anna Disslekamp // The Louisville Cardinal

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Up-and-coming freshmen raising the bar Friday, Nov 15 2019 

basketball and Chris Mack and david johnson and HS and Lamarr Kimble and Samuell Williamson and sports Luke Graham 10:42 am

By Luke Graham–

Coach Chris Mack made quick work recruiting the No. 12 incoming class in the country. The class includes one five-star McDonalds All- American and a helping of four stars.

Mack seemed to always be close to landing big names while at Xavier, but he never had a big name university to achieve the final approval. In just his second year, it is exciting to see what he can possibly do for the future with his recruiting abilities.

The current freshman class is led by five-star forward Samuell Williamson. Williamson averaged 25-11-4 in points, rebounds and assists in his senior year of high school. He is the first McDonalds All-American the Cards brought in since VJ King and Mack’s first at Louisville.

Aidan Igiehon, David Johnson, Josh Nickelberry, Jaelyn Withers and Quinn Slazinkski round up the recruiting class for the Cards.

Most Louisville fans will have a special place in their hearts for David Johnson who elected to stay home after graduating from Trinity and play for the Cards. The guard was a four-year starter at Trinity and averaged 16-7-4 in points, rebounds and assists as a senior. He also received the Kentucky State Sweet Sixteen MVP.

An honorable mention from this class is graduate transfer Lamarr “Fresh” Kimble who came from St. Joes University. 

While most of the freshmen got a chance to play against Miami, Williamson stuck out most. With raw potential that Mack and his staff will surely tap into, he showed flashes of something special. He made good cuts, had an eye for the court and played pretty good defense for a first game freshman.

It is unclear how much time these young Cards will play early in the season, but it is a nice sign that Mack has a formidable class to build on what they did last year.

File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal

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No. 4 Cards slams Indiana State 91-62 Friday, Nov 15 2019 

#2019basketball and basketball and Chris Mack and HS and Indiana State and KFC Yum! Center and Samuell Williamson and sports Luke Graham 12:59 am

By Luke Graham-

Louisville men’s basketball took down Indiana State Nov. 13 with a final score of 91-62 at the KFC Yum! Center, maintaining a three game win streak. Junior forward Jordan Nwora came in strong, shooting 56 percent and 50 percent from behind the arc.

The Cards (3-0, 1-0) finished out the first half with a 47-26 lead. In the first half, Nwora kept the pace up, shooting four of eight and making both of his threes to finish the first half with 14 of the Cards’ 47 points.

Redshirt senior Dwayne Sutton played very well in the first half. He was all over the court and guarding anyone who came his way. He finished the half with 10 points and six rebounds. Graduate transfer Lamarr “Fresh” Kimble helped the Cards out while shooting 100 percent, going 3-of-3 from the field and 1-for-1 from three.

The Cards let Indiana State (0-2) go on a little run to start the second half but calmed down and took the game back over. Louisville’s defense stepped up, led in most part by redshirt Senior Dwayne Sutton locking down whomever got hot for Indiana State. He also finished with a double-double, scoring 14 with 10 rebounds. He finished second in scoring behind Jordan Nwora with 21.

Freshman and 5-star McDonalds All-American Samuell Williamson showed flashes of what is to come, finishing the night off with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists while adding on a block and a steal. Williamson played the game smooth no matter if he was on defense, court vision, or shooting.

Kimble had an excellent game and showed real control while running the point for the Cards. He showed maturity and poise while only missing one shot and finishing with 13 points.

With a win, Louisville will look to climb up into the top three teams in the country after rival Kentucky took an upset loss to the University of Evansville.

Louisville will stay at home and play host to NC Central in the Global Sports Shootout on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 5 p.m. on the ACC network.

Photo by Anna Disslekamp // The Louisville Cardinal

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Basketball takes down Bellarmine in exhibition game Monday, Nov 4 2019 

basketball and Bellarmine and dwayne sutton and Fresh Kimble and HS and jordan nwora and Knights and Ryan McMahon and Samuell Williamson and sports Gabriel Wiest 12:10 pm

By Ben Goldberger —

Though closer than most fans would prefer, the Louisville Cardinals beat the Bellarmine Knights 75-65 in an exhibition game Oct. 29.

Junior Jordan Nwora recorded 28 points. Freshman Dwayne Sutton had 18 points with 13 rebounds, and freshman Samuell Williamson had 17 points with nine rebounds.

Redshirt sophomore Ryan McMahon had a disappointing night, missing all shot attempts and going 0-5 from three point range and 0-6 in total shots. 

First Half

The Cards started off slowly, going multiple plays missing shots. Sutton rose to life in the first half, grabbing practically everything that came off the board. 

Louisville could not control their fouls, leading to the Knights getting an abundance of free-throw opportunities.

No players off of the bench could score, with the only points the whole game coming from graduate student Fresh Kimble. 

The Cards went into halftime trailing the Knights 35-33. 

Second Half

While it remained close through most of the second half, U of L took control of the game. They played smarter basketball with patient defense and physical offense. 

Nwora caught on fire late in the second half, draining threes and driving to the basket left and right. The whole team fed off of this burst of momentum going on a late run, capped off by a fast break slam dunk by Williamson that shook the stadium. 

Bellarmine could neither produce much on offense nor stop the hyped up Cards on defense once the momentum had landed in Louisville’s hands, allowing the Cards to glide to a win by 10 points. 

With two starters and one star rookie sidelined, the Cardinals were able to fight through adversity and win the game. While fans expected this to be a blowout, a win is a win.

The Cards travel to Miami to start off the season Nov. 5 at 7:00 p.m. 

Photo by Anthony Riley // The Louisville Cardinal

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