Cards Visit Virginia Tech in Third Straight Road Contest

Game Information
Date: Tuesday, March 1, 9:05 p.m. ET
Site: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va. (8,925)
Television: ESPN2 - Mike Couzens, play-by-play; Debbie Antonelli, analyst; Brooke Weisbrod, reporter.
Radio: WKRD (790 AM) Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst (XM channel 381, SiriusXM App 971)
Series History: Louisville leads 36-8 (19-3 in Louisville, 16-3 in Blacksburg, 1-2 neutral) The Cardinals have won the last 17 matchups.
Last Meeting: UofL 73, Virginia Tech 71 (Jan. 6, 2021 at KFC Yum! Center)
UofL National Ranking: unranked in USA Today & Associated Press polls
Next UofL Game: March 5 vs. Virginia, KFC Yum! Center, Noon ET (ESPN2)

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Louisville plays its third straight on the road as the Cardinals visit the Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg, Va., on Tuesday at 9:05 p.m. ET.

Louisville lost 99-77 at Wake Forest on Saturday as Sydney Curry led the Cardinals with a career-high 28 points and seven rebounds, making 13-of-18 field goals. Curry, whose previous high was 22 points vs. NC State, had scored just 18 total points over his previous five games. UofL shot 50.8 percent from the field, its third time above 50 percent this season, first in an ACC game, and the first time it has made 50 percent of its shots in both halves since Dec. 14.

Curry's 28 points at Wake Forest was the most for a Cardinal since Jordan Nwora finished with 37 at Boston College on Jan. 29, 2020. Curry's 13 field goals made (in 18 attempts) were the most by a Louisville player since Russ Smith finished 14-of-22 in a win over Houston in the AAC semifinals on March 14, 2014.

Noah Locke passed 1,200 career points with 14 at Wake Forest. He has 17 double figure scoring efforts this year, including four of the last six games. He has made 38.6 percent of his three-pointers in ACC games (39-of-101). Locke has made multiple three-pointers in 18 games and at least three of them in 12 games this season.

Virginia Tech (18-11, 10-8 ACC), tied for seventh in the ACC standings, has won eight of its last nine games, including winning 71-70 at Miami on Feb. 26 in its last outing, closing the game on a 12-2 run.

Virginia Tech is second in the ACC in scoring defense (61.8 ppg, 19th in nation) and third in three point goals per game (8.8). Forward Keve Aluma (15.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg) leads a balanced lineup with four starters averaging scoring in double figures. Virginia Tech is No. 41 in the NET rankings, No. 22 in ESPN's College Basketball Power Index (BPI), No. 33 by Ken Pomeroy and No. 33 in the Sagarin Ratings, through Feb. 27.

Louisville leads the all-time series against Virginia Tech 36-8, winning the last 17 matchups and 28 of the last 30. In the last meeting, UofL prevailed 73-71 (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. The teams were scheduled for a second game last season on Feb. 16, but the game was cancelled for COVID reasons while the Cardinals were on their flight to the game on the day before.

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.
Louisville has an all-time 13-10 record in games played on March 1, winning seven of its last 10 games played on that date.
Louisville has averaged 29.1 points per game from its bench this season. The Cardinals have had 33 double-figure scoring efforts off the bench. Louisville's bench has contributed 30 or more bench points on 14 occasions this season. Louisville picked up 59 points off the bench at Wake Forest, its most since scoring 63 against Southern on Nov. 13, 2018. The Cards are ninth in the nation in bench minutes (42.5 percent).
Jae'Lyn Withers has averaged 8.7 points and 5.0 rebounds over the last 11 games while shooting 46 percent from the field (39-85), scoring nine or more points in seven of those 11 (five of the last seven; averaging 10.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg in the last seven). He had multiple stitches in his mouth after taking a blow in practice last week, limiting him to six minutes at Wake Forest. Withers averaged 4.2 points in the first 17 games of the season.
El Ellis has scored in double figures in six of the last eight games, including a career-high 25 in the Feb. 1 meeting against North Carolina. He is averaging 10.0 points per game over the last 15 games -- top for the Cardinals in that stretch, while hitting 24-of-66 threes (.364), including 13.0 ppg in the last eight.
Louisville's 34 ACC road wins in its eighth year in the league is the fourth-most in the ACC in that period.
Louisville grabbed 12 offensive rebounds at Wake Forest, its 14th game this season with at least 10.
Louisville is 9-3 this season when outrebounding its opponent, 11-1 when shooting better from the field than the opposition, 9-2 when shooting more free throws than its opponent, and 11-3 when leading at halftime.
Malik Williams has scored in double figures in six of his last nine games. Williams is sixth in the ACC in rebounding (7.7 rpg) and 51st in the nation in defensive rebounding (6.0 per game).
Louisville does not have a double-figure scorer on its team, but has 10 players averaging between 4.9 and 9.9 points per game. The last time UofL finished the season without a double figure scorer was 1943-44.

University of Louisville Athletics

Cards Visit Virginia Tech in Third Straight Road Contest

Related News

Players Mentioned

Sydney Curry

El Ellis

David Johnson

Carlik Jones

Noah Locke

Malik Williams

Jae'Lyn Withers

Related Videos