Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Virginia Tech Hokies

The Cardinals are wrapping up their three-game road trip against the Hokies, in hopes of preserving their lengthy win streak against them.

Louisville Cardinals (12-16, 6-12 ACC) at Virginia Tech Hokies (18-11, 10-8 ACC)

- Tipoff: Tuesday, March 1st at 79:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.
- How To Watch: ESPN2
- How To Listen: WKRD 790 AM
- Betting Favorite: Virginia Tech -11.0 (KenPom)
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 36-8
- Last Meeting: Louisville won 73-71 on Jan. 6, 2021 (KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

• F Dre Davis (6-6, 210, So.)
• F Jae'Lyn Withers (6-8, 225, R-So.)
• C Malik Williams (6-11, 245, Sr.)
• G El Ellis (6-3, 180, Jr.)
• G Jarrod West (5-11, 185, Gr.)

Virginia Tech

• F Keve Aluma (6-9, 235, r-Sr.)
• F Justyn Mutts (6-7, 230, Gr.)
• G Hunter Cattor (6-3, 200, Jr.)
• G Naheim Alleyne (6-4, 195, Jr.)
• G Storm Murphy (6-0, 185, Fr.)

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Hokies, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of The Tape & Prediction: Louisville vs. Virginia Tech

Game Notes

Louisville

• Louisville lost 99-77 at Wake Forest on Saturday as Sydney Curry led the Cardinals with a career-high 28 points and seven rebounds, making 13-of-18 field goals. Curry, whose previous high was 22 points vs. NC State, had scored just 18 total points over his previous five games. UofL shot 50.8 percent from the field, its third time above 50 percent this season, first in an ACC game, and the first time it has made 50 percent of its shots in both halves since Dec. 14.
• The Cardinals have won their last 17 matchups against the Hokies, and have not lost since a 72-56 decision back on Feb. 13, 1991.
• Sydney Curry’s 28 points at Wake Forest was the most for a Cardinal since Jordan Nwora finished with 37 at Boston College on Jan. 29, 2020. Curry’s 13 field goals made (in 18 attempts) were the most by a Louisville player since Russ Smith finished 14-of-22 in a win over Houston in the AAC semifinals on March 14, 2014.
• Noah Locke passed 1,200 career points with 14 at Wake Forest. He has 17 double figure scoring efforts this year, including four of the last six games. He has made 38.6 percent of his three-pointers in ACC games (39-of-101). Locke has made multiple three-pointers in 18 games and at least three of them in 12 games this season.
• Jae’Lyn Withers has averaged 8.7 points and 5.0 rebounds over the last 11 games while shooting 46 percent from the field (39-85), scoring nine or more points in seven of those 11 (five of the last seven; averaging 10.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg in the last seven). He had multiple stitches in his mouth after taking a blow in practice last week, limiting him to six minutes at Wake Forest. Withers averaged 4.2 points in the first 17 games of the season.
• El Ellis has scored in double figures in six of the last eight games, including a career-high 25 in the Feb. 1 meeting against North Carolina. He is averaging 10.0 points per game over the last 15 games -- top for the Cardinals in that stretch, while hitting 24-of-66 threes (.364), including 13.0 ppg in the last eight.
• Malik Williams has scored in double figures in six of his last nine games. Williams is sixth in the ACC in rebounding (7.7 rpg) and 51st in the nation in defensive rebounding (6.0 per game).

Virginia Tech

• Both halves finished with a team making a momentum-shifting run, as Miami closed the first segment on an 11-3 run. In fact, four of the Hurricanes’ 3-pointers (six total) came in consecutive fashion during the final 4:02 of the first half. However, when Virginia Tech had its largest deficit (-8) of the game with 1:42 remaining, the Hokies shot 4-5 from the field, while only allowing Miami to get three shots (1-3) off. There were three separate occasions in Saturday’s game when the Hokies made three or more consecutive shots.
• The Hokies finished off February with a 7-1 mark, which was their best record for the month since 1972 (6-1).
• Tech captured its first Quad 1 win of the season at Miami, moving to 1-5.
• Per KenPom, the Hokies rank 26th in the country on offense in adjusted efficiency (points scored per 100 possessions).
• Keve Aluma ranks fourth in the ACC in scoring at 17.3 points per game in conference-only action. Aluma collected his sixth double-double of the season at Miami on Saturday night. It was his second consecutive double-double.
• Tech is shooting 39.1 percent from three this season, but has only hit 31 of 120 (25.8%) in its last five games.
• Justyn Mutts recorded the program’s second-ever triple-double with 12 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists vs. Syracuse. He’s one of three ACC players to record a triple-double this season, joining Alondes Williams of Wake Forest and Wendell Moore, Jr. of Duke.
• In Tech’s two games against Notre Dame and NC State, the Hokies produced over 30 points in the paint, leading to two wins. When Tech scores 30 points in the paint, the team has a 9-3 record. The three losses were to Duke and North Carolina (twice).
• Through 29 games, the Hokies’ reserves are averaging 16.3 points per game. Tech has gone over the 30-point threshold five times, with a season-high 36 points coming against Maine and Cornell.

(Photo of Jae'Lyn Withers: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY SPORTS)

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