University of Louisville
Virginia Tech
No. 4 Women's Basketball to Play Virginia Tech in ACC Tournament Opener
March 01, 2018 | Women's Basketball
The Cardinals and Hokies will tip off at 2 p.m. ET.
The Hokies came from 16 points down to upset Syracuse on Thursday, 85-70.
At 15-1 in league play, UofL won its first ACC regular season title and its first regular season title since they won the C-USA in 2001.
Louisville, in its fourth season in the ACC, is the No. 1 seed for the first time for the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament. The Cardinals reached the semifinal for the third-consecutive season last year, falling to No. 3 Notre Dame 84-73 on March 4 at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C.
The Cardinals are playing in their third different conference tournament under head coach Jeff Walz (Big East, The American, ACC). Since his first season in 2007-08, the Cardinals boast a 15-10 record (.600) and have reached three championship games (2008, 2009, 2014). Louisville went 9-6 in the BIG EAST, 2-1 in the AAC, and 4-3 in the ACC in that span.
Having already won their first regular season title since 2001, they now seek their first conference tournament title since they won the Metro Tournament in 1993. That year, they beat Southern Miss, 84-73, to win the title. They have won five conference tournament titles, all in the Metro (1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1993). They have not advanced to a conference tournament final since 2014 when they lost to Connecticut in the AAC championship, 72-52.
ABOUT THE HOKIES
Virginia Tech (18-12, 6-10) entered the tournament with losses in four of its last five games. Its lone win during that stretch was a 53-45 win over Clemson.
They are led by juniors Taylor Emery and Regan Magarity. Emery leads the team in scoring with 17.6 points per game, which ranks sixth in the league, and is shooting 39.7 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks seventh.
Magarity nearly averages a double-double with 13.5 points and 9.4 rebounds, which ranks second in the ACC, while adding 1.5 blocks. She has 13 double-doubles on the season, which ranks second in the league. Her 28 career double-doubles rank second to Hines-Allen's 43.
Hicks averages 12.1 points, along with a team-high 5.7 assists, which ranks 27th in the NCAA and third in the ACC, and 3.2 steals, which ranks 11th in the NCAA and second in the ACC.
They have made 231 3-pointers, which ranks second in the league.
Series History: Louisville leads 19-17 (9-7 Homes, 7-10 Away, 3-0 Neutral)
Last Meeting:Â Â W, 67-56 (1/7/18 at KFC Yum! Center)
UofL is 19-17 against Virginia Tech. They have won the last four since joining the ACC. Prior to the four-game winning streak, the Hokies won four straight against the Cards in the 90's. In their lone matchup this season, the Cards won 67-56 at the KFC Yum! Center on Jan. 7.
GAME FACTS
Date:Â Friday, March 2
Time:Â 2:00 p.m. ET
Site:Â Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C. (23,500)
TV:Â ACCNE; Jen Hildreth, play-by-play; LaChina Robinson, analyst
Radio:Â WKRD, Nick Curran, play-by-play;Â Adrienne Johnson, analyst
Next UofL Game: Saturday, March 3 at 12 p.m. ET - vs. No. 4 Duke vs. No. 5 NC State/No. 12 North Carolina winner
For the latest on Louisville women's basketball, visit GoCards.com, follow the team's Twitter account at @UofLWBB or on Facebook at facebook.com/UofLWBB.
