ACC Leaders Louisville and Virginia Tech Square Off on Wednesday

Game Information
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Crum Court, Louisville, Ky. (22,090) (167-26 in 11th year)
Television: ACC Network - Mike Monaco, play-by-play; Dan Bonner, analyst.
Radio: WHAS (840 AM) Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst (XM channel 382, Internet 972)
Series History: UofL leads 35-8 (18-3 in Louisville, 16-3 in Blacksburg, 1-2 neutral)
Last Meeting: UofL 68, Virginia Tech 52 (March 1, 2020 at KFC Yum! Center)
UofL National Ranking: No. 25 USA Today, receiving votes in Associated Press poll
Next UofL Game: Jan. 9 vs. Georgia Tech, KFC Yum! Center, 4 p.m. ET (ACCN)

Louisville will play its first home game of the new year as the No. 25 Cardinals face the No. 19/20 Virginia Tech Hokies on Wednesday in the KFC Yum! Center.

The matchup pits two of the three teams atop the ACC standings with a 2-0 record. After playing its first two ACC games on the road, five of the Cardinals' next seven games in January will be at home.

In its first game of 2021, Louisville (7-1, 2-0 ACC), ranked No. 25 in the USA Today poll, won its third straight in prevailing 76-64 at Boston College on Saturday as the Cardinals held the Eagles to a season-low 33.3 percent shooting from the field, marking the fifth time this season UofL has limited its opponent to below 40 percent accuracy.

The Hokies (8-1, 2-0 ACC) have won four straight, including beating Miami 80-78 in their last game on Dec. 29. Virginia Tech (No. 19 AP, No. 20 USA Today), which fell to Penn State 75-55 on Dec. 8 in its only loss of the year, had its Jan. 2 game at Virginia on Jan. 2 postponed. VT handed No. 3 Villanova its only loss of the year.

Virginia Tech is 2-0 in the ACC for just the fourth time since joining the ACC in 2004-05. Wednesday's game is the Hokies' first true road game of the season after playing six straight at home. Virginia Tech is No. 34 in the NET rankings, No. 38 in ESPN's College Basketball Power Index (BPI), No. 42 by Ken Pomeroy and No. 54 in the Sagarin Ratings, through Jan. 3.

Louisville leads the all-time series against Virginia Tech 35-8, winning the last 16 matchups and 27 of the last 29. UofL prevailed 68-52 in last year's matchup on UofL's Senior Day (3-1-20) as Jordan Nwora led the Cards with 20 points, 12 rebounds and two assists, marking his sixth double-double of the season.

Louisville and Virginia Tech were fellow members of the Metro Conference from 1978-1995. When UofL joined the ACC, it was the first time the teams had played in 20 years.

Louisville's defense continues to improve, as the Cardinals currently lead the ACC in field goal percentage defense (.386, 33rd in the nation) and rank 29th nationally in scoring defense (61.8 ppg). The Cardinals held Boston College to a season-low 33.3 percent shooting from the field, marking the fifth time this season UofL has limited its opponent to below 40 percent accuracy from the field (four under 35 percent). The Eagles did not make a field goal over the final 7:04 of the first half.

Notes

The Cardinals are 2-0 in conference play with both wins coming on the road for the third time in the last 20 years (also 2009, 2014).
Louisville has started with at least a 7-1 record through eight games for the 10th time in the last 13 years. UofL has won at least eight of its first nine games on nine occasions over the past 12 years entering Wedneday's game.
Louisville has a 57-16 record in its conference home games over the last nine years (.781). UofL has the fourth-most conference home wins in its seven years in the ACC with a 42-13 ACC home record (9-1 last season).
Louisville has won its first home game of the new year five of the last six years. Louisville has a 42-13 record during the month of January over the last five years (.764).
Louisville has produced double-digit rebounding margins in its two ACC games, including a 43-30 edge over Boston College. Louisville held a 45-26 rebounding advantage over Pitt on Dec. 22, including grabbing a season-high 15 offensive rebounds. It was the largest margin for the Cardinals in a conference game since also finishing plus-19 in a win over Notre Dame on March 3, 2019. The Cardinals' +7.3 rebounding margin is fourth in the ACC.
Louisville's offense produced its highest scoring total in six games at Boston College. UofL's 8-of-17 three-point accuracy (.471) against the Eagles was its best of the season and matched its most threes in a game this season. The Cardinals' offense ranks 44th nationally by KenPom. Louisville's 47.2 field goal percentage is fifth in the ACC (72nd in the nation). Louisville has shot 50 percent or better in six halves this season.
David Johnson scored a career-high 20 points at Boston College while connecting on a career-best four three-pointers, all in the first half. He added eight rebounds and three assists. Johnson has made a combined 7-of-10 threes in his last two games. He was honored as ACC Player of the Week for games Dec. 21-27. Johnson also grabbed eight rebounds, his second-highest total of the season. In eight games, Johnson has nearly tripled his three-point production from a year ago, burying 14-of-31 threes this season (5-of-23 three in 2019-20).
Carlik Jones handed out his 500th career assist at Boston College (36 at Louisville, 469 at Radford), part of his 15 points and game-high nine rebounds and six assists. The ACC assists leader, Jones has had at least six assists in four of his seven games this season.
Louisville is No. 16 in the Sagarin Ratings, No. 25 by KenPom, No. 33 in the NCAA NET, and No. 45 in ESPN's College BPI through Jan. 3.
Former UofL guard Luke Hancock, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2013 NCAA Final Four, is a native of Roanoke, Va., 40 miles from the Virginia Tech campus.

ACC Leaders Louisville and Virginia Tech Square Off on Wednesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

David Johnson

Carlik Jones

Jordan Nwora

University of Louisville Athletics