HOKIES HOOPS CENTRAL: VIRGINIA TECH (16-13, 6-12 ACC) AT LOUISVILLE (4-25, 2-16 ACC) 9PM ACCN

HOKIES HOOPS CENTRAL: VIRGINIA TECH (16-13, 6-12 ACC) AT LOUISVILLE (4-25, 2-16 ACC) 9PM ACCN

Late night hoops in the 'Ville 🦃🏀#StoneByStone pic.twitter.com/nvZWUm3dVB— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 28, 2023

Louisville (4-25, 2-16 ACC)
vs. Virginia Tech (16-13, 6-12 ACC)
February 28, 2023
KFC Yum! Center
9 p.m. ET
ACC Network
Virginia Tech Sports Network

ACCN
Play-by-Play: Rece Davis
Analyst: Debbie Antonelli

Local Radio
Virginia Tech Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Zach Payneey
Analyst: Mike Burnop

Current Spread: Hokies -10.5
Over/Under: -145

Injuries/Absence:
Louisville: Emmanuel Okorafor (Guard) Ankle/ Hercy Miller (Hip) (Both Questionable) (Neither player is significant)
VT: Darius Maddox (Personal Matter) (Expected to be out remainder of season)

Gameday in the Bluegrass State 🫡📺 ACCN🕘 9PM pic.twitter.com/kyclb0syD2— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 28, 2023

All bets are off....
The Hokies get one more chance to underperform against a really bad opponent on the road when they face the Louisville Cardinals. The Hokies are 9-36 in a lopsided relationship with Louisville going into their 46th meeting. If you thought they were bad at Boston College, its 3-19 and a nine game losing streak at Louiserville. There is bad blood between these programs, as in the distant past Louisville made it their mission to see the Hokies dumped by the old Metro Conference.

The Cardinals are coached by first year head coach Kenny Payne, and he is on pace for some historic lows at Louisville. This is his first head coaching job. Payne won a championship while a player at Louisville.

Coach Payne returned the majority of his team from last season, with freshman Michael Hill as the most notable contributor in his first recruiting class. The Cardinals came into this season with low expectations and have managed to not even hit those. The Cards started the season 0-9 before finally beating Western Kentucky. They are 2-14 in ACC play with wins over Georgia Tech and a struggling Clemson.

Defensively, Coach Payne subscribes to a hybrid between zone and man-to-man. He wants every one of his guys capable of defending against any opponent. He has a tall roster that helps but his players just haven't been able to execute, consistently losing track of opponents in the paint after switches. The intent is to not give their opponent that free step with the ball going under screens. He has six guys 6'8 or taller to help there.

Offensively, Coach Payne use a Continuity Pick and Roll offense stressing that his team limit turnovers and make plays by keeping the ball in El Ellis hands first second and third. They strive to force their opponent's post players to defend away from the basket. This allows them to gain rebounding advantages, get open shots, get to the free throw line more often and create mismatches using rotations. One critical aspect when defending is to be prepared for players off ball cutting to passing lanes to force defenders to react.

Cardinals Backcourt (Starters in Bold)
El Ellis
3 SR G 6-3 175
Durham, NC Quality Education Academy (NC)
18.0 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 4.6 Ast

Michael James
1 FR G 6-6 195
Orlando, FL Oak Ridge HS 76 (2021)
9.5 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 1.1 Ast

Cardinals Frontcourt
Jae'lyn Withers
24 JR F 6-8 230
Charlotte, NC Cleveland Heights HS
9.3 Pts, 5.4 Reb, 0.8 Ast

JJ Traynor
12 JR F 6-8 200
Bardstown, KY Bardstown HS
6.6 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 0.7 Ast

Kamari Lands
22 FR F 6-8 220
Indianapolis, IN La Lumiere (IN); Prolific Prep (CA); Hillcrest Prep (AZ) 59 (2022)
6.1 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.7 Ast

Sydney Curry 21
SR F 6-8 260
Ft. Wayne, IN Northrop (IN)
5.2 Pts, 4.4 Reb, 0.3 Ast

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield
5 SO F 6-10 235
Clarksville, TN Scotland Campus Prep HS 23 (2021)
7.0 Pts, 5.6 Reb, 0.6 Ast

What to expect from Louisville?
The Cardinals offense revolves around El Ellis. He has just gotten better and better all season. Averaging almost 25 points per game in February, while shooting over 40% from three.

The there is the rest of the roster, Michael James and Jae'lyn Withers average almost 10 points per contest but then scoring falls off significantly. Withers is another threat to score from outside, shooting over 40% on limited attempts.

The Cardinals shoot the ball pretty well and don't play terrible defense but much like the Hokies have those four or five mental defensive breakdowns, allowing an easy bucket. The big difference in most of their losses are turnovers and foul trouble.

As a team the Cardinals are shooting 35% from the perimeter on 20.4 attempts per game. Ellis accounts for only 6 of those attempts or their team percentage would like be higher.

The Hokies
Cattoor will be critical defensively against Ellis. Slowing his output really limits what Louisville is able to do. Rice and Collins will combine on Withers.

Coach Young told the media "I think the likelihood of that happening is not good" when asked if Darius Maddox would play again this season due to a family matter.

The Hokies should focus on going inside where Louisville opponents shoot 54%. Avoid the mid-range jumpers and take it to the rim. Rice and Basile need to play a pick and roll game to force Louisville to decide who to guard.

While Louisville plays decent defense, they do not create many turnovers at less than 9 per game. This is another game that just comes down to whether the Hokies can play a complete game on both ends without making a ton of mental mistakes.

Highlight of the Duke Game
Rodney Rice 11 points and 3-5 from outside

"He's a very good basketball player. That was his third game as a college player. ... And every rep he gets is going to be beneficial for us as we move along."CMY on @rodneyrice__ 🫡📈 pic.twitter.com/HvCt1D7LgZ— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 26, 2023

Welcome to the big leagues, @rodneyrice__ 🫡You're gonna fit in 👌 pic.twitter.com/OeucBhxDZH— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 26, 2023

In Closing
The Hokies score against the Cardinals by exploiting the open shooter when Louisville loses track of a guy in the paint off a screen. Fast, crisp passes make it the biggest challenge Louisville seems to struggle against.

This could be a really big game for Rodney Rice, and if he gets hot early that will open up shots for Cattoor, Pedulla and Collins.

As always, it all will come down to which level of effort takes the floor.