It was ESPN Feast Week in Kentucky as the Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team traveled to the University of Louisville on Nov. 24, 2025, to take on the No. 6 nationally-ranked Cardinals in the first of three games during the holiday stretch.
The Eagles, coming off a big win over Oakland University in their last outing, looked to keep their momentum alive against a Louisville team that had rallied late to defeat the University of Cincinnati earlier in the week.
Eastern was once again led by Mo Habhab, who became the first player in program history to record a triple-double in the win against the Golden Grizzlies — but the undefeated Cardinals entered the matchup determined to reinforce their standing among college basketball’s elite, and they did so with a 87-46 win over the Eagles.
First half
Fouls and missed shots defined Eastern’s first half, as Louisville immediately pushed back against the Eagles’ physical style of play. The officiating crew tightened the whistle early, forcing head coach Stan Heath to turn to his bench. Eastern committed 11 fouls in the first half compared to six for Louisville, and Carlos Hart picked up his third foul just 15 minutes into the game.
Louisville controlled the offensive glass, grabbing eight offensive rebounds in the first half to extend possessions and generate second-chance points. Those extra opportunities steadily widened the margin. Louisville shot only 34% from the field, but it was enough to widen the margin and take a double-digit lead over the Eagles.
The Eagles struggled to score from deep, as it took 18 minutes for Mak Manciel to knock down Eastern’s first three-pointer of the night. Cold shooting forced Eastern to attack the paint, where multiple Louisville defenders collapsed to poke the ball loose or force turnovers. The Eagles committed eight turnovers in the half and shot just 19% from the floor.
Louisville took a 33-17 lead into halftime.
Second half
The Atlantic Coast Conference’s referees continued to make their mark on the second half as whistles seemed to fill the air where music was supposed to be.
With fouls working against the Eagles, along with a much more efficient Cardinal offense coming out of halftime, Eastern was unable to keep up. The 16-point lead grew to 22 for the Cardinals, and all the Eagles could do was watch.
Back cuts and well-timed screens continued to give the Eagles problems, and Louisville eventually pushed the lead to 29. Head coach Stan Heath called a timeout in an effort to slow the Cardinals’ surge, but Louisville maintained its momentum on both ends of the floor.
Louisville’s combination of speed, length and physicality proved difficult to match. Eastern struggled to generate consistent looks, and the Cardinals kept applying pressure defensively. Over the final 15 minutes, Louisville’s efficiency only improved as they shot better than 50% in the second half and knocked down multiple three-pointers to put the game out of reach.
Eastern finished the night shooting under 30% from the field, while Louisville continued to build on its advantage. The Cardinals cruised to an 87-46 win.
Despite the loss, Habhab posted another double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, his fifth in six games to open 2025-26. Carlos Hart also reached double figures, finishing as Eastern’s second-leading scorer with 11 points.
What’s next
The Eagles return to action Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, against Cincinnati at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. They will then head home for a matchup with the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, at 4 p.m., available on ESPN+ and the WEMU radio network.
