LOUISVILLE — Louisville Coach Rick Pitino cooked a Christmas Eve dinner for some of his players who couldn't make it home for the holidays.
The feast included chicken parmesan, lasagna and steak. There weren't any leftovers, which is probably a good thing anyway. Trying to find a way to slow down Radford center Art Parakhouski — which the Cardinals will have to do on Sunday when the Highlanders visit Freedom Hall — has a way of making coaches lose their appetites.
The 6-foot-11 Parakhouski is averaging 22.7 point and leads the nation with 14.0 rebounds per game. He's also adept at getting opponents in foul trouble, not exactly the best news for the Cardinals (8-3), who aren't deep in the frontcourt.
Pitino said a dozen NBA scouts will be in attendance. He's already told his players the scouts aren't there to see them.
"(Parakhouski) is very strong, he plays intelligent, and he's very physical," Pitino said. "He's very good on the inside, flailing (to draw fouls). We're going to have to be smart."
The Highlanders won't be intimidated by playing at Freedom Hall either. Radford already has traveled to Duke and Kansas as part of its brutal nonconference schedule. Parakhouski had 23 points and 14 rebounds against the Devils and 21 points and 13 boards against the top-ranked Jayhawks.
Louisville will have sophomore forward Terrence Jennings back in the fold. Jennings missed a win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday while serving a one-game suspension for violating team rules.
Jennings won't start, but Pitino said he expects to play Jennings and center Samardo Samuels alongside each other against the Highlanders (5-4). The two have rarely been on the court at the same time this year, but the combination could become necessary as the Cardinals prepare for Big East play.
"They've practiced together for quite some time, and it's something I think we're going to need," Pitino said.
Samuels did fine working on his own in the win over the Ragin' Cajuns, posting career-highs with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Yet he'll have his hands full with Parakhouski, whose height will challenge Samuels' shot-blocking ability.
Samuels has just nine blocks in 11 games, a number Pitino said must rise if the Cardinals want to become a better defensive team.
Pitino said he isn't sure why Samuels isn't blocking more shots, noting his willingness to try to draw an offensive charge is proof he's not afraid of getting into foul trouble.
Then again, Samuels is hardly the only player Pitino says needs to improve defensively, noting senior guard Edgar Sosa has to become more adept at disrupting the passing lanes, and the whole team has to become better at stopping the three-point shot.
Opponents are making 7.5 three-pointers a game this season against Louisville, up from 5.0 allowed last season. Western Carolina and Charlotte both drained 10 threes while upsetting the Cardinals earlier this month, losses Pitino said are firmly in the rearview mirror.
The Cardinals will have to do it quickly. They open Big East play against South Florida on Wednesday before taking on rival Kentucky next Saturday.
"We're definitely improving," said sophomore forward Kyle Kuric. "We need to improve our defense, but we're just trying to get our confidence up."
