Nebraska Omaha @ Louisville preview

Louisville survived its season opener after a tumultuous few months off the court and the 16th-ranked Cardinals look to forge ahead with a talented lineup when they host Omaha on Friday night. Louisville rallied from a three-point halftime deficit by scoring 48 points in the final 20 minutes of a 72-61 victory over George Mason on Sunday as interim coach David Padgett made his debut after Rick Pitino was let go.

“I think we were anxious,” Padgett told reporters. “Some of us have a little bit of nerves. But now we can just get in the routine of games moving forward.” Pitino was fired amid a federal investigation into the school for corruption in college basketball recruiting and he leaves a group that boasts some experienced performers along with two outstanding newcomers. Senior center Anas Mahmoud told reporters the team is “transitioning” and junior forward Deng Adel scored 20 on Sunday in the season opener while Darius Perry poured in 17 points - the fifth most by a freshman in a debut for the Cardinals. Omaha comes in battle tested off losses to Montana State, Oklahoma and New Mexico in which it allowed 100 points per contest, but the Mavericks boast four players averaging at least 11 points per game.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra

ABOUT OMAHA (0-3): The Mavericks, who lost by two points in the Summit League championship game last season, return plenty of offense and they showed that in the first three games while averaging 80 points. Junior guard Zach Jackson has scored 17.3 points and grabbed 5.3 rebounds per game in the first three games, while senior backcourt mate Daniel Norl is averaging 16.7 points and 7.3 boards. Junior forward Mitchell Hahn (13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds) and sophomore guard JT Gibson (11 points, three assists) have also contributed on the offensive end.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (1-0): Perry, a 6-2 guard from Georgia, drained all three of a his 3-point attempts and made 8-of-8 from the free-throw line Sunday with two steals. “I thought the most impressive thing with Darius was, he took pride in his defense,” Padgett told reporters. “That’s what we’ve been hitting home with him - you’ve got to be a Russ Smith, Peyton Silva-type player on defense, and just be a pit bull. He’s taken that to heart.” The other top freshman, 6-8 forward Jordan Nwora, made three 3-pointers and scored 10 in his debut.

TIP-INS

1. Louisville senior G Quentin Snider, the team's top returning scorer, reached double figures for the 39th time in his career with 10 points Sunday.

2. Omaha is allowing opponents to shoot 47.7 percent from the field in the early going and is making 41.8 percent of its attempts.

3. Perry and Nwora contributed as the Cardinals outscored George Mason 29-0 off the bench in the opener.

PREDICTION: Louisville 88, Omaha 65