Cards Play Final Road Game at Virginia Tech on Saturday

UPDATE: this game was canceled on March 2 due to contact tracing issues within the Virginia Tech program.

Game Information
Site: Cassell Coliseum (8,925), Blacksburg, Va.
Television: ESPN2 - Dave O'Brien, play-by-play; Cory Alexander, analyst.
Radio: WKRD (790 AM; joined in progress on WHAS 840 AM) Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst (XM channel 383, Internet 973)
Series History: UofL leads 36-8 (19-3 in Louisville, 16-3 in Blacksburg, 1-2 neutral)
Last Meeting: UofL 73, Virginia Tech 71 (Jan. 6, 2021 at KFC Yum! Center)
UofL National Ranking: unranked; receiving votes in USA Today & Associated Press polls
Next UofL Game: March 6 vs. Virginia, KFC Yum! Center, 4:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Louisville will open the month of March with its final road game of the season as the Cardinals visit the No. 22/19 Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg, Va. on Wednesday.

Louisville won 80-73 in overtime at Duke last Saturday as the Cardinals became just the second team in the last 12 years to sweep the Blue Devils in the regular season. Carlik Jones led UofL with 25 points and four assists -- his 31st career game with 20 or more points -- and Samuell Williamson added 14 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Louisville is the first team, other than North Carolina, to sweep a two-game regular season series from Duke since Maryland in 2007.

Virginia Tech (15-5, 9-4 ACC) has won four of its last six games, including a resounding 84-46 victory over Wake Forest in its last game on Feb. 27 when forward Keve Aluma totaled 23 points and eight rebounds to lead the Hokies. Virginia Tech handed No. 8/6 Villanova one of its three losses of the year.

Virginia Tech forward Keve Aluma is seventh in the ACC in scoring (15.9 ppg) and sixth in rebounding (8.0 rpg). Virginia Tech is No. 45 in the NET rankings, No. 33 in ESPN's College Basketball Power Index (BPI), No. 45 by Ken Pomeroy and No. 43 in the Sagarin Ratings through Feb. 28.

Louisville leads the all-time series against Virginia Tech 36-8, winning the last 17 matchups and 28 of the last 30. UofL prevailed 73-71 earlier this year (1-6-21) in the KFC Yum! Center as Carlik Jones and David Johnson led the Cards with 17 points each, and Jae'Lyn Withers produced his first career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Cardinals forward Jae'Lyn Withers was named ACC co-Freshman of the Week for games Feb. 22-28 after averaging 14 points, 11 rebounds and shooting 52.4 percent from the field in two wins. He produced his third double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds against Notre Dame last Wednesday. He totaled 16 points and nine rebounds at Duke, his ninth game this season with nine or more rebounds. He is tied for fourth in the ACC in rebounding (8.0 rpg).

Louisville has had eight ACC games postponed for COVID-related issues and has rescheduled just two of those (Feb. 1 vs. Georgia Tech, March 3 vs. Virginia Tech). The Cardinals have two scheduled conference games remaining prior to the ACC Tournament on March 9-13 and stand to miss six ACC games unless others are rescheduled, four of which are missed home games.

Notes

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.
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.
Louisville has a 73-35 record during the month of March over the last 16 years (since 2005; .676 winning percentage) entering Wednesday's game at Virginia Tech, including a 40-19 mark since 2012 (.678). UofL is 21-13 during regular season games in March since 2005 (52-22 in postseason games, .703).
Carlik Jones, named to The Sporting News Mid-Season All-America team and the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List, had his 100th career double-figure scoring effort at Duke, including the last 40 consecutive games (all 17 at UofL). He is the first person in UofL history to reach double figures in his first 17 games at UofL.
Samuell Williamson has averaged 12.4 points and 11.6 rebounds over the last five games, grabbing double-digit boards in four of the last five. He is second for the Cardinals in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and ranks seventh in the ACC.
Carlik Jones has scored an average of 10.4 of his 17.6 points per game in the second half this year (176 of 300 points).
Louisville is 12-0 when shooting better from the field than its opponent, 11-1 when outrebounding its opponent, 10-1 when scoring 70 or more points, 10-1 when allowing less than 70 points, 12-1 when leading at halftime, and 12-0 when leading with 5:00 remaining in a game.
David Johnson needs 17 points for 400 in his career.
Louisville is No. 28 in the RPI, No. 29 in the Sagarin Ratings, No. 44 by KenPom, No. 46 in the NCAA NET and No. 49 in ESPN's College BPI through Feb. 28.

University of Louisville Athletics

Cards Play Final Road Game at Virginia Tech on Saturday

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Jae'Lyn Withers

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