Minnesota vs. Louisville: Game Preview, Prediction

By Taylor Sturm
Rick Pitino
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The first major game of the 2014-15 college basketball season tips off at 7:30 PM EST on Friday between the No. 8 Louisville Cardinals and the unranked Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Armed Forces Classic.

Louisville dropped out of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at the hands of their arch-rivals, the Kentucky Wildcats, and are in the midst of a transition year after the departure of several key players. However, Rick Pitino’s team returns one of the best players in the country in Montrezl Harrell, as well as several other players capable of breaking out like Chris Jones and Mangok Mathiang.

Minnesota, on the other hand, might be one of the most dangerous teams in the country. This team reminds me of last year’s Tennessee Volunteers, because they enter the season largely ignored by the national media, but have the capability to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. Andre Hollins and Deandre Mathieu are one of the most dangerous duos in the country.

Aside from the basketball headlines to watch in this game, it’s important to remember that this is a father – son showdown in the Pitino household. Minnesota is coached by none other than Rick’s son, Richard Pitino.

My prediction for this game is that both Hollins and Mathieu go off for about 20 points each, and we see how unstable the Cardinals are against elite college basketball shooting guards. Don’t get me wrong, Harrell will dominate in the paint against every team Louisville faces this season. However, the rest of the team isn’t talented enough to win the ACC or string together enough from behind the arc to win against fast, guard-heavy teams like Minnesota. I’m calling the first big game of the season leads to the first big upset; Golden Gophers win.

Prediction: Minnesota 85, Louisville 76

Taylor Sturm is a Featured College Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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