Louisville basketball looks to beat Miami again in ACC Tournament

The Cardinals face the Hurricanes in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals after defeating SMU in the opening round.

Mar. 11, 2026 at 11:50pm

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Louisville basketball forward Vangelis Zougris sparked the Cardinals' comeback win over SMU in the ACC Tournament opener, and now Louisville must find a way to beat Miami for the second time in less than a week to advance to the semifinals. The Cardinals will need to maintain their strong defensive effort, win the battle in the paint, and slow down Miami point guard Tre Donaldson to defeat the Hurricanes.

Why it matters

Louisville is looking to make back-to-back trips to the ACC Tournament semifinals for the first time since joining the conference in 2014. A win over Miami would continue the Cardinals' tournament run and keep their hopes of an ACC championship alive.

The details

Louisville held SMU to a season-low 58 points in the opening round, but the Cardinals struggled offensively, shooting just 23.1% from 3-point range. They'll need to play strong defense again against a Miami team that shoots the ball well and scores a lot of points in the paint. Containing Hurricanes point guard Tre Donaldson, who scored 25 points in the regular-season finale, will also be key for Louisville.

  • Louisville defeated SMU 62-58 in the ACC Tournament opening round on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
  • Louisville beat Miami 92-89 in the regular-season finale on Saturday, March 8, 2026.

The players

Vangelis Zougris

A 6-foot-8 forward for Louisville who sparked the Cardinals' comeback win over SMU with seven points in the final 6:52 of regulation.

Pat Kelsey

The head coach of the Louisville Cardinals basketball team.

Tre Donaldson

The starting point guard for the Miami Hurricanes who scored a game-high 25 points in the regular-season finale against Louisville.

Jai Lucas

The head coach of the Miami Hurricanes basketball team.

J'Vonne Hadley

A player for the Louisville Cardinals who discussed the team's defensive focus against Miami.

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What they’re saying

“Just being there every day — same attitude, same mentality. ... I think it's paying off right now.”

— Vangelis Zougris, Louisville forward

“We can't let our offense affect our defense.”

— J'Vonne Hadley, Louisville player

“When you're talking about Miami, we call it 'war in the paint'. They're driving on every single play; they're trying to touch the paint, trying to bump you. They're a really physical team.”

— J'Vonne Hadley, Louisville player

“We're going to go as far as our defense takes us.”

— Aly Khalifa

“That's kind of (what) our separator is. When you're talking about Miami, we call it 'war in the paint'. They're driving on every single play; they're trying to touch the paint, trying to bump you. They're a really physical team.”

— Jai Lucas, Miami head coach

What’s next

The winner of the Louisville-Miami game will advance to the ACC Tournament semifinals on Friday, March 13, 2026.

The takeaway

Louisville's defensive intensity and ability to control the paint will be crucial in their quest to defeat Miami for the second time in less than a week and advance to the ACC Tournament semifinals. The Cardinals must find a way to slow down the Hurricanes' physical attack in the paint while also limiting Tre Donaldson's production to secure the victory.