Feb 7, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Adrian Wooley (14) brings the ball up court against Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Sebastian Akins (10) during the second half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Preview: Louisville's Showdown vs. NC State

Originally posted on Louisville Cardinals on SI
By Matthew McGavic | Last updated Feb 8, 2026 6:00 AM ET

Winners of three consecutive games, the Louisville men's basketball has a short turnaround in store ahead of their next matchup, returning home to the KFC Yum! Center to take on NC State.

Since suffering a 31-point loss to Duke back on Jan. 26, the Cardinals have looked like a much better team. They rebounded with an 88-74 win over SMU, followed that up with a 76-65 victory over Notre Dame, then most recently secured an 88-80 win at Wake Forest this past Saturday.

Louisville had one of their more complete performances of the season against Wake Forest. They shot it 52.9 percent from the floor and 10-of-25 showing on three-point attempts, which made up for the Demon Deacons being able to shoot 42.9 percent. Six Cardinals cracked double figures scoring, led by Sananda Fru's 17 points and six rebounds.

As for the Wolfpack, they are having a good amount of success under first year head coach Will Wade, especially as of later. NC State enters their matchup against Louisville on a six-game winning streak, most recently taking down Virginia Tech 82-73 this past Saturday.

The Pack are led by Texas Tech transfer forward Darrion Williams, who is averaging 15.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per games, and boast both a top-30 offense and defense according to KenPom.

This will be the 30th all-time meeting between the two programs, with the Cardinals holding a 15-14 advantage, including a 7-6 edge since UofL joined the ACC. In their last meeting, Louisville snapped a four-game losing streak in the series, winning 91-66 on Feb. 12, 2025. They have not beaten the Wolfpacl in the KFC Yum! Center since Jan. 24, 2019.

NC State Wolfpack (18-6, 9-2 ACC) at No. 24 Louisville Cardinals (17-6, 7-4 ACC)

Date/Time: Monday, Feb. 9 at 7:00 p.m. EST
Place: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
TV: ACC Network - Play-by-play and analyst TBD.
Channel (Louisville)/Live Stream: Spectrum: 31; Dish: 140; DirecTV: 206.
Radio (Louisville): 93.9 FM - Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst).