Men's Basketball Hosts Virginia Tech on Tuesday Night
January 12, 2015 | Men's Basketball
GAME FACTS - Louisville vs. Virginia Tech
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015
Time: 7:05 p.m.
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Crum Court, Louisville, Ky. (22,000) (76-10 in 5th yr.) Television: Regional Sports Networks (Fox Sports South in Louisville)- Wes Durham, play-by-play; Mike Gminksi, analyst. Click here for the ESPN3 link
Radio: WKRD (790 AM)- Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst (Sirius 84, XM 84)
Series History: Louisville leads 28-8 (14-3 in Louisville, 13-3 in Blacksburg, 1-2 neutral)
Last Meeting: UofL 78, Virginia Tech 74 (Jan. 26, 1995 in Freedom Hall)
UofL National Ranking: 7th USA Today, 6th Associated Press
Officials: Raymond Styons, Jr., Jeffrey Anderson, Tim Clougherty
Next UofL Game: Jan. 17 vs. Duke, KFC Yum! Center, Noon (ESPN)
Louisville plays its first of two straight at home as the Cardinals face Virginia Tech in the KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday. Louisville fell 72-71 at North Carolina on Jan. 10 in its last game as the Cardinals missed a pair of shots in the game's final four seconds. Terry Rozier totaled 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Cardinals.
Louisville has four players averaging double figures. Terry Rozier leads the Cards in scoring with 17.5 points per game. Montrezl Harrell ranks second with 15.5 points, while Chris Jones ranks third on the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game and Wayne Blackshear averages 12.4 points. The Cardinals are solid on the boards, Harrell leads the team with 9.0 rebounds per game. Rozier leads four players averaging five or more rebounds with 5.6 per game.
Louisville ranks among the nation's top 20 in nine statistical categories through games of Jan. 11. Individually, Harrell is 32nd nationally in rebounding (9.0) and 21st in field goal percentage (.584). Rozier is 16th in steals (2.4) and Jones 27th in steals (2.3).
Virginia Tech (8-7, 0-2) has dropped its last three games after winning four straight, falling 86-75 at Florida State on Jan. 6 in its last outing as FSU held a 42-22 rebounding advantage. Justin Bibbs (25 points) and Adam Smith (24 points) led Virginia Tech in the game.
The Hokies are off for the week before playing at Louisville. Bibbs (13.5 ppg, 28-of-59 three-point goals), a freshman guard with four 20-or-more scoring performances this season, and Smith (12.7 ppg, 34-of-77 three-pointers) are the leaders for the Hokies. Virginia Tech is 12th nationally in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 40.4 percent from beyond the arc. The Hokies are 256th nationally in the ratings percentage index (RPI) and 206th in the Sagarin Ratings through Jan. 11.
It has been 20 years since Louisville and Virginia Tech have met on the court, since the two schools were fellow members in the Metro Conference from 1978-1995. Louisville leads 28-8 in its series against Virginia Tech, winning the last nine matchups. The Cardinals beat Virginia Tech 78-74 in Freedom Hall on Jan. 26, 1995 in the last meeting as Tick Rogers led UofL with 23 points.
CARDINAL NOTES:
• Louisville's academic performance in the recently completed fall semester was impressive, with 15 of its 16 men's basketball student-athletes achieving a 3.0 or better grade point average. The Cardinals posted a collective 3.33 GPA for the 2014 Fall Semester, just short of the team record of 3.47 achieved last fall.
• Over the last nine games, Terry Rozier has averaged 21.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 steals, scoring over 20 points in four. He leads the ACC in steals.
• Louisville's 110 victories over the last four years are the most wins in the nation in that stretch. Louisville is the only school in the nation with three straight 30-win seasons, including a school-record 35 victories by its 2012-13 NCAA Title team.
• Montrezl Harrell is 23 points short of becoming the 66th career 1,000-point scorer at Louisville. His six double-doubles this season are tied for the ACC lead, including producing 25 points and 13 rebounds at Wake Forest on Jan. 4.
• While connecting on 65.4 percent of its free throws on the season, the Cardinals have made 75.6 percent from the line in its last eight games (127-of-168) while making above 70 percent in seven games. UofL is 19th nationally in free throw attempts (407).
• In his last three games, Chris Jones has averaged 21 points, 5.7 assists, four rebounds, three steals and shot 50 percent from the field. He had a career-high 10 assists at Wake Forest.
