No. 24 Louisville intent on starting fast vs. Wake Forest

No. 24 Louisville will seek its first three-game winning streak since November when it visits Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon in Atlantic Coast Conference play in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The Cardinals (16-6, 6-4) followed last Saturday's 88-74 victory over SMU with a 76-65 win vs. Notre Dame on Wednesday. In both games, Louisville endured a slow start from 3-point range before pulling away in the second half.

The first halves were so similar -- Louisville made just 4 of its 19 shots against SMU and 4 of its first 17 vs. the Fighting Irish -- that Louisville coach Pat Kelsey told reporters he thought he was watching an episode of the reality TV prank show "Punk'd." Still, he came away impressed with how his team fought to get the win.

"Sometimes, when your shot's not falling, it just felt a little weird," Kelsey said. "I just thought the effort, the grit, the tenacity, the energy, went (up)."

J'Vonne Hadley departed Wednesday's game after playing just three minutes. The sixth-year player injured his back in practice earlier in the week and was unable to play through it. Kelsey did not have an update on his status.

While listed as a guard, Hadley has played a more physical presence in his two seasons with Louisville. His absence against the Irish opened opportunities for sophomore Khani Rooths, who posted his third double-double (12 points, career-high 12 rebounds), and Kasean Pryor, a 6-foot-9 senior who was a starter early last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury and has played sparingly in 2025-26.

He played 16 minutes on Wednesday, the most since his first game back on Nov. 6 against Jackson State. His 10 points were his most since he recorded 11 vs. Memphis on Dec. 13.

Since going 7-0 through November, the Cardinals have struggled to string wins together. That's been especially true on the road, where they are 2-4 this season.

The Demon Deacons (11-11, 2-7), meanwhile, have lost four straight games, most recently at home Saturday to North Carolina State, 96-78.

Wake Forest was vulnerable along the perimeter, as the Wolfpack made 16 of 28 3-pointers. The 16 makes allowed tied a season-worst for the Demon Deacons, and the 57.1% rate was the highest coach Steve Forbes' team has given up this season.

Now, the Demon Deacons must prepare for a Cardinals team that leads the ACC in 3-pointers made (255) and attempted (743). Louisville's Ryan Conwell averages a conference-high 3.5 3-pointers per game, and Isaac McKneely ranks third at 2.9.

Wake Forest also has the third-worst scoring defense in the ACC, allowing opponents an average of 77.6 points per game. Louisville averages 85.6 points on offense, which ranks third in the conference.

Forbes, on the ACC's Monday teleconference, acknowledged last season's squad was better defensively. That team finished 21-11 overall and 13-7 in the ACC.

"This year, we try to play faster, (we're) a little bit better offensive team than we were last year," he said. "It's been a give and take. We're just trying to play complementary and get on the same page."

Juke Harris is the Demon Deacons' primary offensive threat. The 6-foot-7 sophomore ranks third in the ACC in scoring 20.9 points per game, and he scored a career-high 31 in the loss to the Wolfpack.