
Louisville Falls at Virginia Tech in ACC Opener
December 03, 2023 | Men's Basketball
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech shot 48% in the second half and made 19 of 23 free throws after halftime Sunday, as Louisville men's basketball fell 75-68 on the road in its ACC opener.
Â
The Cardinals (4-4, 0-1 ACC) led by as much as eight in the first half and by one at halftime, but a 16-2 run by the Hokies spanning both halves – including an 8-0 spurt to open the second half – turned the tide.
Â
"They took the fight to us, especially in the second half," Louisville head coach Kenny Payne said. "They're a well-coached team, hard-fighting team and hard to beat this team at home. I thought we did a lot of things well, but at critical times I just thought we made mistakes. Especially in the second half, they shoot 48% and made 19 of 23 free throws. To me, that's the game."
Â
The Cardinals opened the game on a 10-2 run, capped by five points from redshirt sophomore guard/forward Mike James.
Â
Virginia Tech went on a 9-0 run of its own to take its first lead at 15-14, but Louisville pulled back in front with back-to-back 3s by sophomore guard Skyy Clark and James.
Â
UofL led 29-22 with 3:12 to go in the half after a three-point play by sophomore guard Tre White. The Hokies scored eight of the final 10 points of the frame to cut their deficit to 31-30 at the break.
Â
"Our goal was to come here, get off to a strong start, carry it into the second half and get this win," James said. "We really wanted this win to open conference play … so we really had a lot of focus on that start."
Â
Virginia Tech scored the first eight points of the second half, including six from Lynn Kidd.
Â
Freshman guard Ty-Laur Johnson reclaimed the lead for the Cards with a four-point play on a 3-pointer and the foul, and he later gave them their final lead at 48-47 with 10:49 remaining following back-to-back baskets.
Â
The Hokies kept the advantage in the final minutes by exploiting the free-throw line. Junior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield brought Louisville back within one at 67-66 with two free throws at the 1:58 mark, but the Cardinals never got back on top.
Â
Five Louisville players scored in double figures, led by Clark's 16 points and three assists.
Â
Huntley-Hatfield had 14 points and nine rebounds, while James added 10 points, nine boards and four assists. Johnson and White also both had 10 points each.
Â
"I want to keep building every single game on both ends of the floor," Huntley-Hatfield said. "My whole mindset coming into the game from the start is that I want to get 10 rebounds. I want to dominate the boards, bring a lot of energy and physicality. There were a couple of rebounds in this game that I had to have that I missed … but I'm going to correct that. I feel myself getting better, and I know what I'm capable of on the boards. I think I'm going to figure it out with that consistent energy."
Â
MJ Collins led Virginia Tech (6-3, 1-0) with a career-high 20 points.
Â
The Cardinals stay on the road next weekend with a trip to DePaul at 2 p.m. ET Saturday in Chicago. The game will air on FS1.
Â
Â
The Cardinals (4-4, 0-1 ACC) led by as much as eight in the first half and by one at halftime, but a 16-2 run by the Hokies spanning both halves – including an 8-0 spurt to open the second half – turned the tide.
Â
"They took the fight to us, especially in the second half," Louisville head coach Kenny Payne said. "They're a well-coached team, hard-fighting team and hard to beat this team at home. I thought we did a lot of things well, but at critical times I just thought we made mistakes. Especially in the second half, they shoot 48% and made 19 of 23 free throws. To me, that's the game."
Â
The Cardinals opened the game on a 10-2 run, capped by five points from redshirt sophomore guard/forward Mike James.
Â
Virginia Tech went on a 9-0 run of its own to take its first lead at 15-14, but Louisville pulled back in front with back-to-back 3s by sophomore guard Skyy Clark and James.
Â
UofL led 29-22 with 3:12 to go in the half after a three-point play by sophomore guard Tre White. The Hokies scored eight of the final 10 points of the frame to cut their deficit to 31-30 at the break.
Â
"Our goal was to come here, get off to a strong start, carry it into the second half and get this win," James said. "We really wanted this win to open conference play … so we really had a lot of focus on that start."
Â
Virginia Tech scored the first eight points of the second half, including six from Lynn Kidd.
Â
Freshman guard Ty-Laur Johnson reclaimed the lead for the Cards with a four-point play on a 3-pointer and the foul, and he later gave them their final lead at 48-47 with 10:49 remaining following back-to-back baskets.
Â
The Hokies kept the advantage in the final minutes by exploiting the free-throw line. Junior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield brought Louisville back within one at 67-66 with two free throws at the 1:58 mark, but the Cardinals never got back on top.
Â
Five Louisville players scored in double figures, led by Clark's 16 points and three assists.
Â
Huntley-Hatfield had 14 points and nine rebounds, while James added 10 points, nine boards and four assists. Johnson and White also both had 10 points each.
Â
"I want to keep building every single game on both ends of the floor," Huntley-Hatfield said. "My whole mindset coming into the game from the start is that I want to get 10 rebounds. I want to dominate the boards, bring a lot of energy and physicality. There were a couple of rebounds in this game that I had to have that I missed … but I'm going to correct that. I feel myself getting better, and I know what I'm capable of on the boards. I think I'm going to figure it out with that consistent energy."
Â
MJ Collins led Virginia Tech (6-3, 1-0) with a career-high 20 points.
Â
The Cardinals stay on the road next weekend with a trip to DePaul at 2 p.m. ET Saturday in Chicago. The game will air on FS1.
Â
Team Stats
LOU
VT
FG%
.404
.436
3FG%
.316
.250
FT%
.889
.815
RB
33
32
TO
14
10
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Players Mentioned
Cardinal Commitment: Season 2, Episode 3 - September 11, 2025
Thursday, September 11
Who Is...? A Louisville Basketball Series: Mikel Brown Jr.
Wednesday, August 13
Who Is...? A Louisville Men's Basketball Series: Sananda Fru
Tuesday, July 29
Kobe Rodgers And J'Vonne Hadley Summer Press Conference
Wednesday, July 16