GAME NOTES: The third-ranked Louisville Cardinals are hosting the Billy Minardi Classic to open their season, and they will take on the Morehead State Eagles tonight. The winner and loser from this clash will take on the winner and loser from the Florida A&M versus South Alabama contest which is also being played today.

Morehead State fell to 0-3 on Wednesday with an 86-70 loss to Drake. All three losses have come on the road, and the team will not play its first home game of the season until December 4th, an Ohio Valley Conference meeting with UT- Martin.

Louisville finally gets to play a meaningful game, and considering the squad is opening the season with the third spot in the national rankings, expectations are sky high. Last season, the Cardinals made it all the way to the Elite Eight before being ushered out of the NCAA Tournament. Once again an impressive performance by the team, but head coach Rick Pitino wants more. There is a ton of talent to work with in 2008-09, and Pitino has one of the nation's most athletic squads at his control.

Louisville owns a 28-12 series lead over Morehead State, including a 73-49 romp in last season's matchup.

A 19-6 deficit in points from the foul line played a major role in Morehead State's loss to Drake on Wednesday. The Eagles also struggled a bit at the defensive end, as they permitted the Bulldogs to make good on 51 percent of their field goal attempts, including 55.6 percent from three-point range. Maze Stallworth played extremely well in defeat, as he netted 26 points to go along with eight rebounds. Leon Buchanan pitched in 13 points, and Kenneth Faried added 11 points from his center position. Through three outings, Stallworth is averaging a team-high 13.3 ppg, but his 36.1 percent shooting from the floor is far from impressive. Buchanan adds 11.7 ppg to the mix for the Eagles, who are scoring a mere 57.3 ppg on 39.1 percent shooting from the field as a team. Defensively, they are surrendering 72.0 ppg.

Senior Terrence Williams had two triple-doubles for Louisville last season, proof of his tremendous versatility. He averaged 11.1 ppg and 7.2 rpg to go along with a team-high 162 assists, and he may emerge as a strong candidate for Big East Player of the Year honors. Williams shot just 57.1 percent from the foul line and 28.8 percent from three-point range, and he must improve both marks. Junior guard Jerry Smith (10.7 ppg) is perhaps the most viable deep shooter on this squad after knocking down a team-best 68 three-pointers, but he is also valued as a top-notch defender who came up with a team-high 62 steals a season ago, one of the many reasons why and how the Cardinals placed second in the Big East and 22nd in the country in points allowed with 61.5 ppg. Throw Earl Clark (11.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 59 blocked shots) into the mix and Louisville has one of the most athletic guard/forwards in the conference, while Edgar Sosa (7.6 ppg) could prove to be the wild card for the group.

The Cardinals have a chance to make a Final Four run this season. The lineup is incredibly balanced, and Pitino will pull all the right strings.