Preview: Wake Forest at Louisville Women’s Basketball LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Interstat) — The eighth-ranked Louisville Cardinals look to continue their dominant ACC campaign when they host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the KFC Yum! Center on Thursday. Louisville (22-4, 11-2 ACC) enters on a bounce-back note after a narrow 59-58 home loss to Duke on Feb. 5. The Cardinals responded with an 84-65 road victory at Syracuse on Sunday, led by 22 points from standout guard Laura Ziegler. Ziegler averages 16.3 points in conference play and has scored 22 or more in three of her last six outings. Wake Forest (13-12, 4-9) aims to halt a two-game skid following a 56-84 loss to North Carolina on Sunday. The Demon Deacons’ season has been marked by narrow defeats, including a triple-overtime 109-103 loss to Virginia on Jan. 29 and an overtime loss at Clemson. The matchup features a contrast in offensive firepower. Louisville leads the ACC in scoring margin (+18.7 in conference games), while Wake Forest ranks near the bottom in scoring defense, allowing 78.2 points per game in ACC play. Demon Deacons guard Milan Brown will be a key factor. She is coming off a stretch of high-volume performances, including a 30-point effort against Virginia and a 17-rebound game at Duke. Containing Brown, who averages 19.2 points in her last six games, will be a priority for the Cardinals’ defense. Louisville has won 10 of its last 11 games and remains in contention for the ACC regular-season title. Wake Forest, sitting in the lower tier of the conference, seeks a signature road upset to bolster its postseason resume. The Cardinals have dominated the recent series, winning the last 12 meetings. In their most recent matchup on Feb. 15, 2025, Louisville won 91-59 in Winston-Salem. Following this game, Louisville hosts Florida State on Sunday. Wake Forest returns home to face Notre Dame on Feb. 19.