Louisville men’s basketball is set to face off against Indiana in the 2023 Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Cardinals are coming off a heartbreaking 81-80 loss to No. 19/17 Texas in the first round, while Indiana suffered their first loss of the season with a 77-57 defeat to UConn. The Cardinals have won four of the last five matchups against Indiana, but the overall series stands at 9-11 in favor of the Hoosiers. This will be their first meeting since 2018, when Indiana secured a narrow 68-67 victory.
The Cardinals have a long history at Madison Square Garden, having played there 54 times dating back to 1948. Many memorable moments have taken place in this historic venue, including championships and tournament titles. Louisville’s head coach Kenny Payne previously served as an assistant coach for the NBA’s New York Knicks, who also call Madison Square Garden home. Payne’s return trip to Madison Square Garden serves as a reunion for two other members of the Louisville staff, Gabe Snider and Justin Perez, who both previously worked for the Knicks.
Payne and Indiana head coach Mike Woodson, who also worked together as assistant coaches for the Knicks, will face off against each other in this matchup. Snider, who is an on-court coach for Louisville, previously worked as a graduate assistant for Indiana. The game holds additional significance as two legendary coaches, Denny Crum and Bobby Knight, were at the helm of their respective programs during seven of the previous 20 meetings between Louisville and Indiana. Crum passed away earlier this year, while Knight passed away recently.
On the defensive end, the Cardinals have shown improvement, limiting their opponents’ success from beyond the arc in the last two games. After allowing UMBC and Chattanooga to shoot a combined 45.5% from three-point range, Louisville held Coppin State and Texas to just 14.7% shooting from deep. The Cardinals have also been successful from the free throw line, making 27 free throws against Texas, their most since 2018.
In their last meeting in 2018, Indiana narrowly defeated Louisville 68-67, thanks to late-game heroics from Romeo Langford and clutch free throws from Juwan Morgan. The game saw a career-high 24 points from Louisville’s Jordan Nwora, but a three-game winning streak came to an end for the Cardinals. Louisville had led for the majority of the game but ultimately fell short after a decisive three-pointer by Rob Phinisee.
Both teams will be looking to bounce back from their previous losses and secure a victory in the Empire Classic. With the series historically close and the recent success of the Cardinals against Indiana, Sunday’s matchup promises to be an exciting contest at Madison Square Garden.
