Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Virginia Tech Hokies

Virginia Tech Hokies (16-13, 6-12 ACC) at Louisville Cardinals (4-25, 2-16 ACC)

- Tipoff: Tuesday, February 28 at 9:00 p.m. EST
- Location: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Virginia Tech: -10.0
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 36-9
- Last Meeting: Virginia Tech won 75-43 on Mar. 1, 2022 (Cassell Coliseum - Blacksburg, Va.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

G El Ellis (6-3, 180, Sr.)
G/F Mike James (6-5, 215, R-Fr.)
F J.J. Traynor (6-8, 190, Jr.)
F Jae'Lyn Withers (6-9, 220, R-Jr.)
F Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6-10, 250, So.)

Virginia Tech

G Sean Pedulla (6-1, 195, So.)
G Hunter Cattoor (6-3, 200, Sr.)
G M.J. Collins (6-4, 190, Fr.)
F Justyn Mutts (6-7, 220, Sr.)
F Grant Basile (6-9, 235, Gr.)

Comparison

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

Game Notes

Louisville

Louisville will honor seniors El Ellis and Sydney Curry before the game at the 13:00 mark on the clock, along with senior managers Sam Ajagbe, Dillon Carson and Kevin Nauert. Ellis and Curry are both in their second seasons as Cardinals after joining the program from the junior-college ranks a year ago. UofL is 17-5 in its last 22 Senior Day games.
El Ellis is averaging 23.6 points per game over the last five games while shooting 53% from the field, 40% from 3 and 91% from the free-throw line. After having a positive or even assist-to-turnover ratio just three times in the first nine games of the season, Ellis has been positive or even in 17 of the last 20 games. In his last 15 games since 2023 began, he has 75 assists against just 47 turnovers. As of Sunday, Ellis is 1 of 19 players nationally with at least 520 points and 130 assists.
Over the last four games, junior forward JJ Traynor is averaging 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds while making 7 of 11 shots from 3-point range. Traynor has made three times as many 3s this season (21) as he did in his first two seasons combined (7). He scored a career-high 16 points in back-to-back games against Clemson and Duke.
In the last seven games, Louisville has made 86 of 100 free throws (86.0%). Before Georgia Tech, the Cardinals shot 90% or better from the free-throw line in the previous two games and 80% or better for the previous six games, both of which were program firsts since at least 1974.
Louisville started the game at Duke on Feb. 20 with an 18-9 lead, marking the eighth loss for the Cardinals this season in which they’ve led by at least eight points at one time, including six times in ACC play.
Last game: Louisville was unable to complete the regular season sweep over Georgia Tech, falling 83-67 in Atlanta.
KEY FIRST HALF RUN: An early 12-5 run by the Cardinals put them ahead of Georgia Tech 19-16 within the first eight minutes of play. However, a 15-2 run that spanned 2:45 for the Yellow Jackets helped propel them to a 13-point lead at halftime (45-32).
KEY SECOND HALF RUN: The Cardinals had a late 6-0 run that lasted just under two minutes to put them within five points of the Yellow Jackets (66-61). The Cards’ late spark was not enough to stop Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets recorded a 17-6 run that spanned over the last 4:57 of the game and ultimately clinched the victory for them.
UofL shot 27 of 62 (.435) from the field, 4 of 17 (.235) from 3-point range, and 9 of 12 (.750) from the free-throw line. The Cardinals shot 75% from the free-throw line. Over the last four games, UofL has shot 61 of 71 (.859) from the charity stripe.
El Ellis tallied 15 points on 7 of 16 shooting from the floor and 1 of 1 from the free throw line. Ellis has only missed two free throws since the game against Florida State on Feb. 4, shooting 28 of 30 (93.3%) from the line. The North Carolina native also pulled down two rebounds and added in a team-high tying three assists in 38 minutes of play. With only two turnovers and three assists, Ellis has had a positive or even assist to turnover ratio in 17 of the last 20 games.
J.J. Traynor scored in double digits for his third straight game with 10 points on 5 of 9 shooting from the floor. Over these three games, Traynor is averaging 14.0 points and 5.3 rebounds. Traynor added in four rebounds and one assist through 36 minutes of play. The forward had two dunks against the Yellow Jackets and accounts for over half of the Cardinals’ dunks this season.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had a career-high tying three blocks in just his fourth game back from a foot injury. He also added three points, six rebounds, and two steals in 20 minutes of play.
Jae'Lyn Withers pulled down a team-high nine rebounds while adding eight points and three assists. The junior had one triple and one block in 28 minutes of play.
Kamari Lands tied his career high with 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting from the floor and 3 of 5 from the 3-point line while adding four rebounds.
Mike James scored 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the field and 4 of 5 from the free throw line. James added three rebounds and two assists for the Cards.

Virginia Tech

Grant Basile has scored double figures in 13 straight games. He has broken the 20-point mark in six of the last 10 contests. Over the last 10 games, Basile is averaging 21.7 ppg.
Basile (eighth) and Sean Pedulla (16th) give the Hokies two of the top 16 scorers in the ACC.
Hunter Cattoor is first in the league in 3FG% at 43.2% (64-148).
Every Hokie who played Saturday at Duke scored – marking the first time that’s happened this season. Led by Rodney Rice’s 11 points, Tech’s bench generated 19 points (two off its season high).
Hunter Cattoor is currently sixth all-time in career 3-pointers made in VT history. He became the ninth Hokie to reach 200 for his career at Boston College.
Freshman guard Rodney Rice had a breakout game at Duke on Saturday, going for a season-high 11 points on 3 for 5 shooting from beyond the arc
Hunter Cattoor became the 50th member of the 1,000-point club in program history last Tuesday night vs. Miami
Grant Basile became the first Tech men’s basketball player to score at least 30 points in back-to-back games since Bryant Matthews achieved the feat in Dec. 2003.
Justyn Mutts is on pace to become the second active Division I men’s basketball player to achieve 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 400 assists.
Grant Basile has already surpassed his 3-point total from last season. The grad student from Pewaukee, Wisconsin has converted 57 treys through 29 games as a Hokie. In his last season at Wright State, Basile knocked down 39 triples in 36 games.
Nine of the Hokies’ 12 losses in ACC play have come by single digits. Two of the other three games (at Syracuse and at Virginia) were 10-point decisions.
Coach Young’s last four teams at Wofford all finished inside the top 10, nationally, in 3-point field-goal percentage.
Sean Pedulla reached double-figure scoring in each of his first 18 games of the season. Pedulla was the first Hokie to do that since Erick Green scored double figures in all 32 games of the 2012-13 season.
Entering the 2022-23 season, Tech will feature seven scholarship players at 6-foot-7 or taller. That figure ties for the second-most since the start of the Seth Greenberg era.

(Photo of Sydney Curry: Ryan Hunt - USA TODAY Sports)

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