Louisville Cardinals (6-0) vs. NJIT Highlanders (3-4)
Game Time: 9 p.m.
Location: KFC Yum Center: Louisville, Ky.
Television: ACC Network
Announcers: Cooper Boardman (play-by-play) and Randolph Childress (analysis)
Officials: TBA
Favorite: Louisville by 44.5
Series: First Meeting
Projected Starting Lineups:
Louisville
- G Mikel Brown Jr. (6-5, 190, Fr.)
- G Isaac McKneely (6-4, 195, Sr.)
- G Ryan Conwell (6-4, 215, Sr.)
- F J’Vonne Hadley (6-7, 210, 6th)
- F/C Sananda Fru (6-11, 245, Jr.)
NJIT
- G David Bolden (6-0, 185, Fr.)
- G Jeremy Clayville (6-1, 175, So.)
- G Ari Fulton (6-7, 205, So.)
- F Jordan Rogers (6-6, 215, So.)
- C Malachi Arrington (6-11, 220, So.)
Statistics:
NJIT’s Season to Date:
Relevant Videos:
About NJIT:
Louisville plays what figures to be its final real walkover game of the 2025-26 season late Wednesday night when the NJIT Highlanders come to town.
NJIT is in its third season under head coach Grant Billmeier, and is already off to a much better start than they were when they won six games last season and seven the year before that.
Billmeier runs a downhill ball-screen-heavy attack. The Highlanders dribble the air out of the ball. Last season, the offense centered around Tariq Francis, who transferred to Rutgers after averaging 19.2 ppg. This season, at least through seven games, the scoring has been more spread out.
The Highlanders actually have the most returning minutes (57%) from last season of any team in the America East, and also brought in a quartet of impact transfers from the portal. So naturally, their leading scorer so far this year has been a true freshman.
Milwaukee native David Bolden a 6’0 point guard, enters Thanksgiving Eve averaging a team-best 13.4 ppg. He is an extremely capable outside shooter who appears to have stepped into Francis’ spot as the focal point of Billmeier’s offense. Ari Fulton, a 6’7 sophomore who emerged as a starter for the Highlanders last season, is the team’s other double-figure scorer (12.1 ppg) and is also the squad’s leader in rebounding at 8.3 rpg.
The most naturally talented player on this roster and the guy I’d expect to lead them in scoring when all is said and done is 6’3 junior Sebastian Robinson. He missed the first three games of the season with an injury and still hasn’t played more than 19 minutes in a contest so far this season. Don’t be surprised if that changes tonight.
Look, I’ll put it simply: There’s just not much offensive talent on this team, and the system doesn’t fit the offensive talent that is there. NJIT primarily runs a dribble-heavy pick-and-roll attack with zero spacing and no rim pressure, which leads to an awful lot of midrange hero ball. That’s not ideal for any team. It’s especially not ideal for a squad in the Highlanders’ position in these types of games.
Defensively, it’s slightly better. Slightly.
Kansas City transfer Melvyn Ebonko was expected to be a difference maker on the defensive end, but he has appeared in just one game due to injury. With him out, 6’11 sophomore Malachi Arrington has been the team’s anchor and best rim protector.
NJIT has held their opponents to respectable shooting percentages from both inside and beyond the arc, but that’s likely a product of their level of competition (Cincy is the only top 160 KenPom team they’ve faced and the Bearcats scored 93 points) as much as anything else.
The Highlanders play at a faster pace than they probably should given their personnel, which means Louisville should have an opportunity to post some absurd offensive numbers in this one. Don’t be surprised if the Cards get back into triple digits after a two-game hiatus.
Notable:
—Louisville is off to a 6-0 start for the first time since the 2019-20 season. The Cardinals are looking to enter the month of December with an unblemished record for the first time since that same campaign.
—Louisville has a 264-84 record against non-conference opponents over the last 24 seasons (includes postseason).
—Louisville enters Wednesday night’s game ranked fourth in the country in scoring margin at 29.8+ points per game. The Cards are also eighth in three point attempts per game (33.5) and three pointers made per game (12.2).
—Louisville has a 193-27 record in home regular season non-conference games over the last 24 seasons. The Cardinals are 117-18 at home in regular season non-conference games over the last 15 seasons.
—NJIT started a season 3-1 for the first time since 2015-16.
—Inside the KFC Yum Center, Louisville has a 113-18 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.
—Louisville is 33-0 under Kelsey when leading with five 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 119-0 all-time when scoring 100 or more points in non-overtime games.
—Louisville has won 166 consecutive games when holding an opponent under 50 points.
