Saturday's preseason game in Louisville, Ky., may mean the Timberwolves are nearing the end of a long road trip. But for one player it's almost like going home.

Forward Gorgui Dieng was born in Senegal. After attending a sports academy in his home country, then spending one year at a prep academy in West Virginia, Dieng arrived at the University of Louisville as a 20-year-old in 2010 to play for Rick Pitino.

"Coach Pitino helped me a lot," Dieng said after Wolves practice Friday. "He helped me learn about America, what to expect, and what people would expect from me. I'm very excited coming back here, to see my old teammates, coach. It's good.''

Having gone 2-1 in three preseason games, the Wolves have a rematch with Miami — they beat the Heat in the preseason opener in Kansas City last Saturday — at the KFC Yum! Center, which opened just before the start of Dieng's three-year stretch with the Cardinals.

The Cardinals made it to the NCAA tournament in each of Dieng's three seasons, reaching the Final Four in both 2011-12 and 2012-13, ultimately winning the NCAA championship over Michigan at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Dieng said he had to get about 30 tickets for former teammates and friends for Saturday's game.

But he is focused more on his current team. The Wolves left the Twin Cities on Oct. 7 to play their first five preseason games. The Wolves will play Sunday at Oklahoma City and then fly home, ending a trip coach Tom Thibodeau hoped would help a team with many new faces bond.

So far, so good, Dieng said.

"We've stuck together, spent more time together here on the road," he said. "This will help us come closer.''

Much of the team attended Friday's Louisville-Duke football matchup, where Dieng was honored on the field. One player who likely won't get cheered Saturday is Karl-Anthony Towns, who played for rival Kentucky.

Here are some things Thibodeau will likely be looking for in the upcoming back-to-back; Saturday's game will not be available on TV or radio in the Twin Cities:

• The Wolves have held opponents to 34.4 percent shooting — and under 30 percent on three-pointers — while winning two of their first three preseason games. They have forced more turnovers than they've committed and outrebounded opponents.

• On the flip side, the Wolves also have struggled shooting, hitting 38.8 percent. Andrew Wiggins is shooting only 29.7 percent, though he is still averaging 15.3 points thanks to his ability to get to the free throw line. Ricky Rubio (4-for-14) and rookie Kris Dunn (5-for-27) have also struggled.

• But the Wolves are doing a better job of looking for and making three-pointers. Minnesota has attempted 22.6 per game in the preseason, up from 16.4 during last season, and is shooting 38.2 percent from behind the arc.

• Thibodeau went with relatively tight rotations in the first and third games, both wins. He may need to use this game to evaluate more players, with only two home preseason games left after Sunday.