#19 Louisville (21-6)
at
Virginia Tech (12-15)
Cassell Coliseum
9pm ACCN
Late-night showdown with the Cards 😤🆚 No. 19 Louisville🟠 Wear Orange🕘 9PM📺 ACCN🔗 https://t.co/Ypqs6c8sMc🤝 @cmgleasing pic.twitter.com/Ay8mxgSjw1— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 25, 2025
Louisville Professionals Visiting
The Hokies come off their most complete game that essentially eliminated Miami from the ACC Tournament. Now they face the brand new team that Louisville went out and bought after two of the worst seasons in their history.
After going 12-52 the last two years, the new professional team is 21-6 and 14-2 in the ACC. They lost to Duke in early December and then a head scratcher to Georgia Tech at the beginning of February. Prior to ACC play their other losses were a ranked Tennessee, Oklahoma, a ranked Ole Miss, and a ranked Kentucky. 0-4 against the SEC which is seemingly the trend for the ACC this year.
Pat Kelsey has only one player in their top 10 players that isn't a transfer in this season. That is freshman Khani Rooths, the #33 player in last year's class. The other nine signed new contracts to play for the Louisville Professionals.
The key transfers are Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin), Terrence Edwards (JMU), Reyne Smith (CoC), and Jvonne Hadley (Colorado). All four are averaging double-digit scoring.
They lost two key players to injury in Kasean Prior (12ppg prior) and Koren Johnson(3ppg but backup pg).
The scoring falls off a good bit after the four starters named above. James Scott and Noah Waterman are the two bigs that rotate in this 4 Guards 1 Big lineup for Kelsey.
They prefer extremely high tempo on both sides of the ball employing pressure at different intervals in a tight man to man defense and a hectic ball movement offense.
They shoot a ridiculous amount of threes so Hokies need to sacrifice a bit in the paint to limit clean looks from outside. Cards are attempting over 30 three pointers per contest. Fortunately only Smith and Hadley are proficient but they combine for over half of the 30 team attempts.
Tough to see the Hokies getting a win over this group of one year mercenaries but stranger things have happened.
Orange Effect 🟠Come out to Cassell Coliseum tonight to watch @HokiesMBB take on No. 19 Louisville and WEAR ORANGE 👇— HokieSports (@hokiesports) February 25, 2025
Professionals Starting Five
Chucky Hepburn
24 SR G 6-2 211
15.6 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 6.0 Ast
Terrence Edwards
5 SR G 6-6 190
14.9 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 2.7 Ast
Reyne Smith
6 SR G 6-2 180
14.2 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 0.9 Ast
J'Vonne Hadley
1 SR G 6-6 200
12.6 Pts, 7.3 Reb, 1.8 Ast
And/or
James Scott
0 SO F 6-11 210
7.1 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Noah Waterman
93 SR F 6-11 210
5.8 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Key Bench Players
Khani Rooths
9 FR F 6-8 205
3.8 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Aboubacar Traore
25 SR G 6-5 190
5.5 Pts, 4.9 Reb, 0.6 Ast
stood on business @SinCereJones_ 🏆💪 pic.twitter.com/jZybBL2Glx— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 25, 2025
S/O @ChristianGurdak 🥇Big bump tonight between Gonzaga and PVI for the WCAC chip 🏆👀 pic.twitter.com/qcWtiXSfC5— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 24, 2025
Comments
Let's Go
HOKIES!!!
Any word on Poteat? Looks like Wessler is starting.
Out for the game
sounds like a good thing this pitt gt game is still going
I understand what you mean, but at the same time there is never anything good about Pitt or GT.
Ugh Serven playing is no bueno
Ten turnovers in 13 minutes is no bueno.
18 points off turnovers out of 31
Did Hammond get hurt or something? Started the game but hasn't been on floor in last ten minutes or more
Guess that answers that
Rechsteiner was earning the minutes
At least we'll have more than 11 points at halftime. Keeping it in single digits at half would be a nice win
Crazy stat that the bench has scored 24 of Hokies 26 points
That mask is nuts
12 turnovers. This game is reminding me of Ryan Willis.
Underrated comment right here
That memory made me shutter. I was there for his zillion turnover game in Boston. With my BC grad cousin who loved Willis' play. Thought he was one of BC's better players.
They have us 7-0 on fast break points, 3-0 on 2nd chance points, and 16-5 on points off turnovers.
We can get back in this by getting back on defense, blocking out on rebounds, and STOP TURNING THE BALL OVER!!!
Boeheim ain't much of a color commentator in my opinion.
Painful to listen too. Only for his name cache
Am assuming Ryan Jones not playing to protect redshirt since Serven is a mess
Hepburn stuck his elbow into Rechsteiners chest to get a foul
Imagine where we would be if we weren't throwing the ball away every other possession
If Lawal continues to play like he is tonight, we won't have to worry about someone poaching him.
didn't we already have the under 12?
the starters keep digging a hole and the bench claws back
isn't that a goal tend?
Beat me to it. Totally agree
when they said "yeah it hit the rim" I was like yeah here we go... and then they only cared about shot clock reset
Why wasn't that goaltending?
the rim was shaking from it being hit by a defender before the ball came up???!?!?
Ugh what a dumb charge
Gotta settle down here
The Louisville guy clamped done on Young's arm and tried to drag him....
That was about as ugly of a pass as Young could've made there
Jayden Young with his fourth foul....
Roger Ayers with gold comment on review.
Acc basketball in February ...there's nothing there
"After review, that's ACC basketball in February. There's nothing there"...was that the official call? Did I hear that right? 😅
Elbow to the back of the head "nothing there"
Yeah more garbage from Boeheim
Schutt takes an elbow to back of head
Doubled up their turnovers and only down 4
boheim is so bad
Guy had arm across both of Johnsons arms on that out of bounds ball
bunch of "no calls" tonight. Just about every screen is a moving screen. Don't think they've called one yet!
Especially the ones with their big keeping our guys from getting out to perimeter to guard. Big just shifting left and right to prevent
Wessler taking friendly fire from Burnham
that looked like that hurt! ouch!
Should have been 3 seconds
No change in spin. Burnham didn't touch it
Unfortunately that last look scrolled way in it bent his finger
Wasn't his pinkie though
These reviews are ridiculously long
Well damn, going with the 100x zoom to prove me wrong
Should have been offensive goaltending. Guy took it off rim to dunk
4 point swing on missed goaltendings....
Jesus christ
Burnham thrown to the ground on that offensive rebound that let them get the 2
Yep no calls piling up these last few minutes
Great D by Rechsteiner
Loserville can foul what, three times before free throws?
No way this half has been this clean
Fu.....Rechsteiner
Well damn. Couldn't even get a shot up
called a timeout for that
Well. That's a good way to sum this one up
Brutal way to lose that
Disappointed that I stayed up for 22 turnovers. Beyond winnable, but we just couldn't.
22 turnovers is a quick way to lose a game. Both teams have done that at home in the past week. SMH.
Louisville mens hoops has always been a bar too high/unachievable for VT. Past 50 years. We can't compete with them. IIWII. Context.. 4-18 in our last 22 with them. I was surprised we won 4.
Well, we had it at a point with under two minutes to play. Sounds like competitiveness to me. IMHO, of course.
UVA has played us close in football a few times the last 30 years too.
Yeah, I know. When it comes to the Hokies though, I'm a glass half full fan, as opposed to half empty, or in some cases, glass empty. 57 years as a Hokie fan has given me that perspective and I'll keep it for now.
Turnovers. that is all.
Nuff said