Hokie Hoops Central:
Virginia Tech (15-5)
at
Louisville (13-5)
215pm
CW Network
ranked road run in the Derby City 🐎🤝 @CarilionClinic pic.twitter.com/ixNfv16lzo— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 23, 2026
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV | The CW
Thom Brennaman, PxP
Brian Oliver, Color
RADIO | VT Sports Network
Zach Mackey, PxP
Mike Burnop, Analyst
LIVE STATS
stats.hokiesports.com
Louisville -11.5
O/U 159.5
ESPN Analytics Louisville 92.8%
Big Dogs on the Road
The Hokies trail this series 37-12 going into this 50th matchup all-time. That said, Vegas and ESPN clearly think this wont be close. I think it will be much closer than the rest I guess.
Head Coach Pat Kelsey is 40-13 in his second season rebuilding Louisville. His team so far this season though is 13-5. They started 7-0 including a big win over #9 Kentucky. Then in December they got tripped up by two SEC games in #25 Arkansas and #20 Tennessee. January though has seen them lose three of their last five games to Stanford, UVA and Duke. After us they face Duke again and then SMU. Good chance they overlook us a bit although they trail the Hokies currently in the ACC standings at 3-3.
One crappy piece of luck, it appears Freshman Phenom Mikel Brown (#7 recruit in Class of 2025) will return for the Cardinals for the first time since November. He was averaging 16.6 ppg, 3 rpg and 5.1 apg before getting injured. If he plays up to that it completely changes the dynamic of the Louisville offense. Likely comes off the bench and possibly on a minutes restriction similar to Lawal upon his return.
Beyond Brown, the Hokies should expect to deal with Ryan Conwell, a Xavier transfer and Isaac McKneely, who Hokies fans know well from his time at UVA. Those two have been the 1-2 punch for this Louisville offense with Brown out. Sananda Fru, a big from Germany, will routinely be the only Forward on the floor as Kelsey loves four and five out style offense. He will match up well physically against Hansberry or Gurdak. Lawal could get him in trouble though.
Pat Kelsey's offense is built on tempo and aggression. Expect a fast pace especially in transition. Louisville wants to attack the rim early to either get layups or create quick three point opportunities. They have a willingness to shoot threes in volume. Louisville under Kelsey is not trying to out-execute opponents in the half court every time—they're trying to stress defenses until they break.
Louisville aims to attack before the defense is set and flow directly from transition into secondary actions. Even when nothing materializes early, the goal is to keep the defense moving laterally rather than resetting into static sets.
Expect to see alot of four-out, one-in sets with some five-out looks to keep the defense off-balance. The offense is driven by guards attacking downhill leading to kick-outs to shooters or dump-offs to rollers. Ball movement is often reactive rather than scripted—read the help, make the simple play.
Their offense is 9th in the country at 2pt% at 60.9% and 4th in the country on both made and attempted 3pt shots. They make almost 12 perimeter shots per game. They also excel at defensive rebounding but I think much of that is opponents prioritize being set in the halfcourt to slow Louisville down.
Kelsey's philosophy is "Good shots taken confidently beat perfect shots taken late."
Post-ups are situational. The bigs are used to punish mismatches, slow opponents during momentum swings and create inside-out threes. Louisville does not want to play through the post for long stretches; it disrupts pace and spacing.
The system is designed to flip the math problem on opponents—more possessions, more threes, more rim attempts. At the high-major level, success hinges on guard decision-making and shooting depth, but the identity is unmistakable: Louisville wants to make games uncomfortable, loud, and exhausting.
Kelsey's Cardinals on defense are aggressive, pressure-oriented, and willing to trade structure for chaos. Kelsey's defense is built to pressure the ball, deny easy entries into offense, create turnovers or rushed shots and turn defense into instant offense. This is not a sit-back, grind-it-out defense. It's designed to accelerate the game, even at some risk.
With risk though comes fouls and the Cardinals are fouling 20 times per game. For a team touted for creating turnovers, they haven't done it well in ACC play as opponents only turn it over 8.8 times per game. Four Louisville starters are averaging over 2.2 fouls per game with Conwell at 3.2 per contest as he struggles to stay in front of quick guards. This is where the return of Brown really boosts the Cardinals. This is still an area that I think provides the greatest opportunity for the Hokies. Slow Louisvile, get to the line and dont give them many extra possessions.
Louisville Starters
Ryan Conwell
#3 SR G 6-4 195
19.8 Pts, 5.1 Reb, 2.6 Ast
Isaac McKneely
#10 SR G 6-4 179
12.0 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 1.2 Ast
Sananda Fru
#13 JR F 6-11 245
10.8 Pts, 6.9 Reb, 1.3 Ast
J'Vonne Hadley
#1 SR G 6-6 200
10.6 Pts, 5.4 Reb, 1.9 Ast
Adrian Wooley
#14 SO G 6-5 180
9.8 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Louisville Bench
Mikel Brown
#0 FR G 6-5 190
16.6 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 5.1 Ast
Kobe Rodgers
#11 SR G 6-3 180
4.2 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 1.7 Ast
Aly Khalifa
#15 SR F 6-10 255
3.8 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 2.9 Ast
Kasean Pryor
#7 SR G 6-9 210
2.5 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Vangelis Zougris
#53 JR F 6-8 240
2.6 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Cole Sherman
#4 SR G 5-11 190
1.1 Pts
OUT
Khani Rooths
#9 SO F 6-8 205
6.1 Pts, 4.9 Reb, 1.3 Ast
Tyler Johnson is still out and this Louisville team has an abundance of post depth. Gurdak and Hansberry cant afford a repeat of their foul trouble as they had at Syracuse.
The Hokies must slow the game on defense and force Louisville into half-court execution. You know I hate Fire and Forget but this game thats a sound strategy. Send 3–4 defenders back immediately after the shot. Prioritize paint protection over matchups because Louisville thrives in the last four feet.
Hammond and Avdalas must handle physical pressure without over-dribbling on the perimeter. On offense, its better to work at a fast pace and get good looks early. Spacing and stretching Louisville to the perimeter when on offense is critical to prevent help defenders crashing on the bigs down low.
The Hokies should drive-and-kick with patience and use the extra pass to get a clean three. The guards driving should slip screens and use short pick and rolls to expose Louisville's gambling tendencies.
Using Hansberry and Lawal effectively from top to bottom of the paint can exploit Louisville's switching and allow them to attack smaller guards on switches, use post entries as advantage creators, and force double teams leading to inside-out threes.
I really expect the Hokies to be right where they always seem to be. Scrambling for those last five points in the final minute to tip the game one way or the other.
Comments
LFG!!!!!
HOKIES!
Yes sir. We got this!
It would be nice to get a second win there this century.
Looks like weather is fine for travel to and okay for a playing in L'ville, but can they get back?
I think the ACC screwed this one up.... Looks like snow is coming down as we speak in Louisville. Somewhere between 1-3" expected before tonight, and another 3-6" tonight? The team might be able to get back to the hotel, but I dont think they are getting home for a bit...
Don't love that Brown Jr. is back for them. He's legit
VT +13.5? How does Vegas not have the 'be up 7 with 45 seconds left and lose from a buzzer beater 3' line available for us yet?
Refs are letting them bang around.
Doing a good job getting to the paint. Not doing a good job of finishing.
Of all the possible photos to put up of Young, they put up Covid Mask? Makes no sense
CW sports....
Pushes Bedford to floor, no whistle
Nice block by NEO, and decnt defense overall but we are getting worked inside and can't jut get it in the basket.
However painful it is to watch, I can assure you it's even worse in person
Man we need to finish rather than pulling up just outside paint
Ice cold outside and inside the gym today.
At yet, it's like 75 up in the rafters here
How do we let that happen? Refs were clear there was 5 seconds
How the hell do you stop the game to reset the shot clock and then run a play with 0 awareness of the shot clock changing????
No one paying attention otherwise inbounds doesn't go to Gurdak 40 feet from basket
So many moving screens
This is painful to watch
How in the f was that a foul on schutt?
is it just me or is Lawal's perimeter D lacking some effort?
Did Hammond switch numbers? Thought he was #3?
They said he's wearing #11 today but provided no further explanation.
I know refs are letting them play on the inside, but missing this many layups are infuriating.
Its not "letting them play" when the fouls are called on the other end
Makes me glad I'm leaving shortly to watch the ladies game (moved to 5;00 today due to weather)
We're trying to decide whether or not to go. Don't want to get stuck if the roads start to get rough.
We live 15 minutes from here. No-one at the game. If you don't count the pep band and cheer/dance teams more Hokies here than Deaks. Dozens of us.
Sometimes we are a pretty good basketball team. Other times we look like Blacksburg High School could beat this squad.
This team has very low basketball IQ and situational awareness. It's frustrating because the athleticism and size/speed are obviously there.
Reminds me of 1st half against wake. Just discombobulated.
we're cooked
That escalated quickly.
3 for 19 inside...arms on shooters everywhere
24% from the field. Bedford the only one not sleep walking through this one.
Guess Vegas was right.
I can't wait for Neo to be gone. "Baby Luka" my ass.
Lawal and Hansberry are 0/8 too today with one point.
We need offensive violence from Hansberry and Lawal. Only way they get back in this one.
I'm so over the Mike Young era. I know we don't have the money to go get a solid coach, but this is downright embarrassing. This team has zero awareness... The passes are lazy all the time... There seems to be very little cohesion on the floor, especially when the defense does anything at all that presses us physically (this is a theme with CMY)... Neo looks absolutely lost...
It's hilarious that someone downvoted this accurate assessment.
I'm turning it to golf🤣
Held them to 40% shooting and still trail by 15.
Gave up 16 in the paint and 15 second chance.
Giving up 16 in the paint usually not a big deal but when you only score 6 in the paint, it becomes a big deal. Louisville averages about 28 per half in the paint.
Oscar goes too....says it all
If the fouls inside called against Louisville, they are in foul trouble and we have a bunch of points from the line. The lack of calls is a big factor in this game. And it's not evening out
Yep Pretty tough to stay in games where announcers keep saying they are "letting them play" after half the Hokies layup attempts. Lawal and Hansberry 0/7 on layup attempts with 1 foul called
This might be a legitimate thing to talk about if we weren't getting run out of the gym. But we are playing some pretty subpar basketball to put it nicely.
Eh.. 8 more points from the line in the first half. Their bigs sitting or playing careful because of fouls? Completely different game - see the Syracuse game where that happened because the fouls called.
If we make half those layups or their bigs are on the bench with fouls it changes so many aspects of the game including the blowout status. You cant underscore the impact letting guys hit shooters in the paint has because it forces the Hokies to give up on the paint to shoot more jumpers. It also increases momentum for Louisville going the other direction.
Want to talk about what 8 points would be now? Down 11 instead of 3? Completely game changing.
A goal tend where nobody touches it. Lawal gets hammered - nothing. Their guys gets a tap on the hip on the way to the basket. Whistle. The officiating has buried VT in this game.
We complain about the officials every game. They aren't great today, no doubt. If they were as bad as we are saying, I would have expected CMY to have gotten T'd up at some point. I'm not totally disagreeing, but we went down by 20 by playing the entire first have the same way we play at the end of most games. Inconsistency is the only thing consistent about this team.
It doesn't take a complete officiating meltdown to change a game completely. This game is completely different if they called contact fouls in about a ten minute period in first half. It made for an eight to ten point swing and this is a 12 point game.
It also has changed how the Hokies have approached things for the remaining 25 minutes after.
Hansberry hit by two players on clear run to bucket but another "letting them play"
While we definitely upgraded our talent, this matchup exposes the one area we are quite weak in. Their guards quick and strong, very athletic. We just don't have guards that can defend that on the perimeter. Schutt just can't stay with them on the perimeter. Bedford isn't a stellar on ball defender either. Just a tough matchup for us
Not sure I saw Hammond even touch the three point shooter there
Didn't but was in his landing space which is a foul
Letting them substitute when official stopped clock for Mcneely shoe coming off shouldnt have happened
I'd only other teams could give up 12 point leads with two minutes left as easy as we do lol
They are good but let's see them on a neutral court at ACC Tournament. Cardinals only called for 14 fouls in this game. Only one other game in ACC play have Hokies opponents been whistled for fewer than 20 fouls. SMU was also only called for 15 fouls on their home floor.
Honestly that's the reason our bigs couldn't get going. Big part of our game is bigs in the paint driving and getting fouls. When they aren't calling them for like a 14-2 possible run in the first half it's the difference in the game. (I know I complain about refs most games so there's my bias, but this one clearly didn't fair the Hokies style by "letting them play" downlow while calling touch fouls on VT)
Most of Hokies fouls were legit but when those same ones aren't called on the other end it seems like ours were soft calls. I only really questioned foul on Schutt where he did not appear to touch guy and whistle came when he was eight feet away from Schutt. That and the Lawal goaltending but it could have been the angle of the replay that made me question that one. We only had 18 fouls which is about normal for us. Our ACC opponents have averaged 23 fouls per game putting us at the line 29.7 times per game. Today was 14 fouls and 8 attempts so only 4 shooting fouls when we average about 15 shooting fouls.
Well I am looking forward to the girls playing later.
Best thing that happened was Neo being sat for most of the second half. Three from straight on doesn't even hit the rim and he's a first round pick...give me a break.
We were playing nice ball up to the point where we got within one in the 1st half and made a defensive stop that could have us potentially take the lead. We didn't. And, after that we played like a bunch of buffoons. That's outside of the refs. An 18-5 run to close the half. I cannot find the words to describe the team we saw played to a point where they could take the lead (playing good ball) and then completely shitting the bed for the remainder. It's just baffling.
One thing is for sure, as far as I'm concerned, Neo can sit on the bench and watch the Hokies play. He's just awful. I mean awful.
We also got outrebounded 44-31. W the AF?
The refs weren't great, Team fouls were 18-17. Wr are very good at fucking ourselves for the loss. We are our opponents 6th man MVP. Ask Stan, Wake, and SMU. They will move their heads north and south while laughing.
We definitely weren't playing good to start the game, just louisville also was struggling. How many layups did we miss? How many balls did we throw away? Refs weren't great, but it was pretty equal who it affected. We shot ourselves over and over and it showed in the second half when the Cards normalized. Only reason it was close was hitting an absurd amount of 3s. Even if we hit 40%, we lose that game by 25.
Team fouls were 18-14 and only called Louisville for four shooting fouls the entire game. The Hokies missed 12 layups in first half with only one shooting foul called on Wake. They gave up on the paint by the 10 minute mark, attempting only 3 layups in last ten minutes so that meant shooting jumpers or threes for that entire 18-5 run.
Rebounding gets impacted by two things, we gave up trying to score in the paint so no one underneath. We also played Fire and Forget to prevent transition baskets. So combine those and you give up more defensive rebounds.
Offensive rebounds edge for Louisville came because they were still trying to score in the paint so had multiple guys around the basket to try to get boards.
My bad in the 17 fouls. They had 17 assists. My eyes crossed on the team fouls of 17.
Our defensively rebounding is painful too many games. 2nd effort points and sometimes 3 effort points are brutal.
Our offensive rebounding is what it is under CMY.
The missed layups, TO's, Neo's play was atrocious. It was amazing (not) to watch while asking oneself, "what is this bullshit". We shot ourselves in the foot in the 2H of the 1st and that put us 15 behind = depth knell.
I deleted my recording at halftime. Man did Pasha look bad, no wonder we haven't seen much of him. After the 10th missed layup in the 1st half I had the feeling we would get blown out. Looked up the score and it appears I made the right choice
I shake my head at what I heard, but at least I was warm and comfy. Enjoyed the return to yesteryear, again, thanks to CW not being available to me, but the loss was cold comfort. Ladies, on the other hand, pulled it off.