Still dealing with the Crud here in the Peterson household so I managed the writeup but no pictures and twitter posts today.
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Jan. 13, 2018 / 4 p.m.
Opponent: University of Louisville
Site: Louisville, Kentucky (KFC Yum! Center)
Radio: Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
Talent: Jon Laaser & Mike Burnop
Internet: ESPN2
Talent: Doug Sherman & Jimmy Dykes
Live Stats: HokieSports.com
Game Notes: Virginia Tech
SIRI 84 (Internet 84)
Which Bird Wins?
Buzzketball has evened out their ACC record with wins over Pitt and Wake Forest. This is a different challenge. The game will have the crowd and stage of the Kentucky game if not quite the star power this game used to have. Louisville still has a bit of a cloud hanging over it with the scandal in college basketball ending Rick Pitino's tenure as coach of the Cardinals.
This is a road game, sure to be close to a sellout of the KFC YUM Center, the Hokies seem to take a shine to these situations so hopefully this is no different. The Hokies need to be ready right out the gate to execute their offense effectively. The Hokies have to be on target from the perimeter or this could be long afternoon. This will be the fortieth meeting between the Hokies and Cardinals. Louisville leads the all-time series 31-8.
The Cardinals are coached by David Padgett, who has been at Louisville since 2011 as an assistant coach and was designated the Interim Head Coach when Louisville decided to fire Rick Pitino for his alleged role in pay for play with a Louisville recruit. His first season has gone well so far starting 12-4. The Cardinals stumbled out of the blocks early on against other top conference opponents but then got on track, their losses coming against Purdue, Seton Hall, Kentucky and Clemson. The Cardinals have wins over Florida State, Memphis, Indiana, and George Mason. The win that stands out is their most recent, the 73-69 upset of #23 Florida State, especially with how difficult the Hokies have had playing the Seminoles recently.
Defensively, Louisville uses the Matchup Press Defense which is a high pressure, man to man defense that looks to trap teams at key points on the court. It is designed to prevent penetration stopping the ball handler that is having to deal with two defenders in difficult locations to pass or shoot. The defender that is on the ball handler is expected to be up close, hand in face to create turnovers or force drives to the corners rather than the lane. The difficulty in running this defense is having defenders identify the points they break off their man to man coverage to assist with trapping the ball handler. If not done correctly it can leave a defense exposed to open shooters all over.
Offensively, the Cardinals run a 2-1-2 zone offense. In this offense, picture an X centered on the free throw line. The primary post player will be found at the center of the X, with two guards to the perimeter and two forwards to the baseline. Having a post player that can pass cleanly and effectively is crucial to the success of this offense.
What does that mean for the Hokies?
The Hokies are getting an opponent that is going to dwarf the Hokies, while not giving up much in terms of athleticism and speed. Six of the Cardinals top eight scorers are forwards. If the Hokies are going to compete today than Bibbs and Hill both have to be burning the net down. Forcing Louisville out to guard the perimeter is critical if the Hokies want to be able to avoid their traps.
Get to the free throw line, get the Louisville defense on its heels and get their bigs in early foul trouble. Last season we had something like 29 attempts from the free throw line. Even if we have an off night at the line, with that many attempts it will make a huge impact on the final score of this game.
The Hokies need to make an honest effort to limit points off turnovers and second chance points. Outside of the Pitt game, the last five games the Hokies have given up double digit points in these categories. Its extremely difficult to overcome top level competition like Louisville when you are giving away 20% or more of your total possessions in every game. This was the only reason the Wake Forest game was close, as the Hokies allowed the Demon Deacons 25 points from these two categories.
Cardinals Backcourt
Quentin Snyder, (#4) 6'2, 180 Lbs Senior Guard comes in averaging 12.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 4.1 APG. He is shooting 35% from outside and at the free throw line, shooting 85%. Snyder is the primary ball handler for the Cardinals. He is the one we have to be concerned about driving the ball and making a great pass to an open look. He is also the only guard in the top five scorers for the Cardinals so if he happens to get in foul trouble, the next man up is way down the depth chart.
Ryan McMahon, (#30), 6', 165 Lbs Sophomore is averaging 6.6 PPG, 1.3 RPG, and 1.6 APG. He shoots 39% from outside and is likely the Cardinals biggest threat to heat up from long range as one opponent always seems to do against the Hokies. He hits 83% of his free throws. He missed time at the beginning of the season but has been fairly productive the last five games, especially scoring 11 against Florida State, hitting three big three's to help the Cardinals win that contest.
Cardinals Frontcourt
Deng Adel, (#22), 6'7, 200 Lbs Junior Forward is the Cardinals leading scorer, averaging 15.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 2.8 APG. Adel is usually one of the baseline forwards that is shooting 56% inside, 30% from outside on four attempts per game and 82% from the free throw line. Adel is the only one in the top five that has any indications of foul trouble, averaging 2.4 per contest.
Raymond Spalding, (#13), 6'10, 210 Lbs Junior is averaging 11.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.7 SPG, and 2 BPG and is arguably the Cardinals most important player this season. His ability to control the boards has allowed others to expand their shooting zone and spread the court making it much more difficult to defend or attack the Cardinals. He shoots 52% inside and 67% from the line. His numbers have essentially doubled from his two previous seasons with the Cardinals.
V.J. King, (#0), 6'6, 190 Lbs, is averaging 8.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 1 APG. He is shooting 38% inside and 38% outside on three attempts per game. He only hits 66% of his free throws.
Anas Mahmoud, (#14), 7', 200 Lbs Senior is another big that has blossomed for the Cardinals this year after putting up paltry numbers his first three seasons. He is averaging 8.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 1.1 APG. He has hit 60% of his shots this season but only makes free throws 46% of the time.
What to expect from Louisville?
The Cardinals rely mostly on their offense to go fast and get up and down the court but this season have been able to adapt to a larger, slightly slower lineup and dominate the paint. They have played in quite a few barnburner type games. Usually success for the Cardinals is creating turnovers and turning them into points to spread their lead while also wearing down their opponents.
Rebounding is also a huge key to how Louisville separates itself from its opponents. They have had success this season when they outrebound an opponent by double digit margins. The rebounds allow them quick put back points or to kick the ball out to Snyder to begin again at the top of the key. They have struggled somewhat in the ACC so far, allowing opponents one more offensive rebound and only having 10 more rebounds total through three games. Another part of this though is that the Cardinals have the third highest shooting percentage of any team in the ACC, limiting the number of rebounds to be had.
Shooting from outside does not usually play a big factor for the Cardinals, who attempt some of the fewest three pointers in the ACC at around 17 per contest. Then again, they are facing the Hokies who seek to inspire teams to splashdown glory so look out for McMahon having a big day.
The Hokies
Tech needs to be ready to go fast in this game. The defense and offense of Louisville play into the hands of what Tech likes to do best so they should be able to turn this game if they are consistently making their shots, especially from outside.
Tech has to be really mindful of foul trouble in this contest. Louisville has too many mountains to roll out on the floor for Clarke or Blackshear to have to sit for any long periods of time and have the Hokies be successful.
Space and pace is the big thing in the NBA right now, but in this game it's a sort of war cry for the Hokies. Find the area that the Cardinals aren't able to stretch their defensive presence and get the ball to open shooters.
Highlight of the Wake Game
Chris Clarke, especially with the fast break dunk, but his line for the game was 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and two steals. He might also get hit for the low light of the game as well though with his 6 turnovers.
In Closing
The Hokies are going to need an abundance of free throws and shooting above 50% from the floor to win this game.
The Cardinals will look to take the ball inside and use their size to their advantage.
With the two recent wins, this becomes just another road game in regards the path to the Tournament. The Hokies are back on track if they play like they did at Wake Forest for the rest of the season.
Hokies lose a close one 75-72 because all the pieces kind of come together here to give the Cardinals just enough leeway to escape. I don't expect it to go to blowout status with how they played at Wake but there is a major talent level difference right now between Wake and Louisville. Tipping point is probably Hokies in foul trouble.
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