Louisville Cardinals (1-0) vs. Jackson State Tigers (0-1)
Location: KFC Yum Center: Louisville, Ky.
Television: ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN
Announcers: Kent Taylor (play-by-play) and Larry O’Bannon (analyst)
Favorite: Louisville by 38.5
Series: Louisville Leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Louisville won, 62-45, on Nov. 20, 2010 in Louisville
Projected Starting Lineups:
- G Mikel Brown Jr. (6-5, 190, Fr.)
- G Isaac McKneely (6-4, 195, Sr.)
- G Ryan Conwell (6-4, 215, Sr.)
- G/F J’Vonne Hadley (6-7, 210, 6th)
- F/C Sananda Fru (6-11, 245, Jr.)
- G Daeshun Ruffin (5-10, 157, Sr.)
- G Dorian McMillian (6-3, 169, So.)
- G/F Jayme Mitchell (6-5, 200, R-Jr.)
- F Kobe Butler (6-7, 201, Fr.)
- F Devin Ree (6-9, 177, Sr.)
Jackson State’s Season to Date:
Lost at Illinois (113-55) on Nov. 3
Picked to finish third in the 12-team SWAC at the start of the season, Jackson State is looking to build on a solid foundation laid by fourth-year head coach and former NBA standout Mo Williams. Williams was born in Jackson, MS and grew up in the city before leaving to play his college ball at Alabama.
The Tigers went 14-4 in conference play last season and lost to Alabama State in the SWAC Tournament championship game. They have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2007.
For the second straight game Louisville will be squaring off against a preseason conference Player of the Year. This time it’s Jackson State senior guard Daeshun Ruffin. The 5’10 point guard spent two seasons at Ole Miss where he was a double-figure scorer as a freshman and expected to be a key contributor as a sophomore before injuries cut his season short. Once the Rebels fired head coach Kermit Davis, Ruffin hit the transfer portal and ended up at JSU, where he averaged 15.7 ppg as a full-time starter last season. When fully healthy (which has been rare throughout his college career), Ruffin is a bucket getter. He’ll be looking for his shot early and often against the Cards.
The Tigers’ leading scorer so far this season is a familiar name. Devin Ree was the first high school player signed by former U of L head coach Kenny Payne. He played sparingly in his one season as a Cardinal before leaving for Louisiana Tech, where he put up modest numbers over two seasons. In his debut at Jackson State, Ree went 4-of-8 from three and scored a team-high 19 points before fouling out. He is the biggest outside scoring threat on this team.
The biggest difference between Jackson State and the South Carolina State team that Louisville faced on Monday night is the roster continuity from the previous season. While SC State lost seven of its top eight scorers from 2024-25, the Tigers return Ruffin as well as fellow starters Dorian McMillian (10.2 ppg) and Jayme Mitchell Jr (10.4 ppg), as well as fellow contributors Jalen Tatum and center Ebo Wilson.
Despite the lopsided final score from their game against Illinois on Monday night, expect Jackson State to look more organized and together in this game than South Carolina State did on Monday. That alone won’t be enough to keep the score close, but it should prevent Louisville from being able to race out to a 24-2 lead again.
Also, keep an eye on Mo Williams’ sideline attire.
He’s out to turn heads this season.
—Louisville is 3-0 all-time in games against Jackson State, but Pat Kelsey has never coached against the Tigers.
—Louisville is 10-0 all-time against teams from the SWAC.
—South Carolina State’s 22.8% field goal shooting on Monday night was the lowest by a Louisville opponent since Samford shot 21.0% in an 86-45 loss to the Cards on Nov. 13, 2015.
—Jackson State head coach Mo Williams has two of his sons on the bench this season, with one son, KyDarrius, serving as a an assistant coach, while another, Mike, comes in as a highly-touted recruit.
—Louisville is 116-1 all-time when scoring at least 100 points in a game.
—Louisville has a 259-84 record against non-conference opponents over the last 24 seasons (includes postseason).
—Louisville has a 189-27 record in home regular season non-conference games over the last 24 seasons. The Cardinals are 113-18 at home in regular season non-conference games over the last 15 seasons.
—Inside the KFC Yum Center, Louisville has a 109-18 record in non-conference games.
—After going 59-0 in November home games from 1991 to 2021, Louisville has lost at least one November home game in each of the last four seasons.
—Before 2021, Louisville’s last November home loss had come in 1972.
—Pat Kelsey is the reigning ACC Coach of the Year and is one of 10 active DI head coaches that have earned a Coach of the Year honor in three or more DI conferences.
—Two Louisville players — freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. and senior guard Ryan Conwell — were named First Team preseason All-ACC.
—There are 14 players returning to DI this season that have made at least 175 3-pointers with a career 3-point field goal percentage of 38% or more; Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely are two of those 14.
—Louisville is 28-0 under Pat Kelsey when leading a game with 5 minutes to play.
—Louisville is 14-0 over the past 10 seasons when limiting opponents to no more than one three-point field goal.
—Louisville is 116-0 all-time when scoring 100 or more points in non-overtime games.
—Louisville has won 165 consecutive games when holding an opponent under 50 points.
Ken Pomeroy Prediction: Louisville 95, Jackson State 67
