A quick glance at the non-conference schedule for the Louisville Cardinals, and the names that stick out are Kentucky, Michigan State, and even Saint Louis. But one that may get overlooked, and shouldn’t, is Saturday’s game against the North Florida Ospreys. Why? Because they can score, and score a lot.
Here are some quick notes about North Florida through their first three games of the season, where they are 3-0, including a season opening win against Illinois.
About North Florida
-They are averaging 99 points per game. That is without any game going into overtime. They have scored 93, 106, and 98 points.
-They have attempted 197 field goals this season. Of those 197, 100 have been three point attempts, which is 50.7% of their shots.
-Trent Mackey, a 6’3 Senior from Tampa, Florida, is 16-27 from the field this season. However, he is a ridiculous 16-24 from the three point line! Yes, he is 66.7% from the three point line. Every shot he has made through three games has been a three pointer. He has only attempted three two pointers! He is also 8-8 from the free throw line.
-Trent Mackey is a good shooter.
-Dallas Moore is a little more balanced on his shot selection. He leads the team in scoring at 24.3 points per game. He has attempted 50 shots on the season, with 18 of those being three point attempts. But he is still 10-18 from three for 55.6%.
-As a team, North Florida is 48-100 from three, an obvious 48%. Through two games, Louisville is 14-34 from three for 41.2%. Clearly, that is still good. But the number of threes attempted for North Florida is just crazy. About 33 attempts per game. Louisville has shot 34 in two games.
-When you average 99 points a game, you have some scorers. Five players average double figures: Dallas Moore (24.3), Trent Mackey (18.7), Chris Davenport (15.0), Beau Beech (14.0), and Demarcus Daniels (13.3).
-As a team, North Florida averages 20 assists and only 9 turnovers per game.
-Interesting about the roster. Of the 14 players, nine hail from the state of Florida.
Other Game Notes
-This will be the first meeting between Louisville and North Florida.
-North Florida played in the NCAA Tournament last season. In a play-in game (not the first round to me), they lost 81-77 to Robert Morris. But we all know what a powerhouse they are, so that isn’t a bad loss.
-Quentin Snider has 10 assists and one turnover in 50 minutes played this season. He has played more minutes than anyone else for Louisville thus far.
-The Cards are right outside the Top 25 polls. They are 30th in the AP Poll and 28th in the USA Today Poll.
-After this game, Louisville returns to action Tuesday evening at 7:00, facing St. Francis at home. The Cards will play on their home channel (basically), ESPN3.
