NCAAB Game Preview -
Virginia Tech at LouisvilleSat Feb 18, 2017 1:00 PM EST
Pacif |
61 |
Gonz |
82 |
F |
Vill |
92 |
Seton |
70 |
F |
Kansas |
67 |
Baylor |
65 |
F |
Ariz |
76 |
Wash |
68 |
F |
USC |
70 |
UCLA |
102 |
F |
Colora |
73 |
Oreg |
101 |
F |
VaTec |
90 |
Lou |
94 |
F |
TxTch |
74 |
WVU |
83 |
F(2OT) |
UVA |
41 |
UNC |
65 |
F |
Wake |
94 |
Duke |
99 |
F |
KY |
82 |
UGA |
77 |
F |
Fla |
57 |
MissSt |
52 |
F |
MSU |
63 |
Purd |
80 |
F |
FSU |
66 |
Pitt |
80 |
F |
Tuls |
60 |
Cin |
80 |
F |
SMU |
76 |
Hou |
66 |
F |
SouthCar |
62 |
Vand |
71 |
F |
StMar |
70 |
BYU |
57 |
F |
ND |
81 |
NCSU |
72 |
F |
TN-M |
61 |
SEMO |
90 |
F |
NrthIA |
44 |
WichSt |
73 |
F |
SacHr |
82 |
LIU |
83 |
F |
David |
79 |
UMass |
74 |
F |
Clem |
65 |
Mia-FL |
71 |
F |
Charl |
85 |
NE |
71 |
F |
Hartfo |
52 |
UNH |
82 |
F |
UMassL |
102 |
UMBC |
108 |
F |
Mercer |
89 |
Citad |
78 |
F |
Mizzu |
70 |
Tenn |
90 |
F |
Army |
71 |
Navy |
68 |
F |
Elon |
65 |
Drex |
56 |
F |
FlGlf |
97 |
USC-Up |
89 |
F(OT) |
WIGB |
80 |
WIMil |
56 |
F |
Evans |
72 |
Brad |
84 |
F |
Lib |
67 |
Winth |
84 |
F |
UNCA |
66 |
Campbl |
53 |
F |
BGSU |
75 |
Ohio |
95 |
F |
StBon |
72 |
Dayt |
76 |
F |
StLou |
40 |
Ford |
54 |
F |
KSU |
64 |
Tex |
61 |
F |
SoFL |
71 |
Tul |
94 |
F |
Ill |
70 |
Iowa |
66 |
F |
TexAr |
68 |
GASt |
67 |
F |
WriSt |
74 |
Clev |
68 |
F(2OT) |
RobM |
74 |
CenCT |
64 |
F |
Mia-O |
58 |
Buff |
71 |
F |
LSU |
72 |
Bama |
90 |
F |
Copp |
79 |
SCSt |
84 |
F |
NCC |
82 |
MD-ES |
69 |
F |
Hamp |
61 |
BethC |
62 |
F |
Savan |
75 |
Morg |
83 |
F |
UL |
85 |
ULM |
84 |
F |
SHSU |
53 |
InWor |
69 |
F |
UNCW |
83 |
Hof |
76 |
F |
Stetsn |
56 |
NJIT |
60 |
F |
UNCG |
73 |
Furm |
52 |
F |
StFPA |
75 |
Bry |
79 |
F |
Merrim |
73 |
StFNY |
55 |
F |
MtStM |
79 |
FaDi |
74 |
F |
NoAZ |
68 |
S UT |
84 |
F |
Sac |
59 |
MTSt |
62 |
F |
E MI |
80 |
W MI |
88 |
F |
UTSA |
73 |
N TX |
83 |
F |
StJos |
68 |
LaSal |
83 |
F |
URI |
77 |
GMas |
74 |
F |
Aub |
62 |
TAMU |
81 |
F |
UCF |
61 |
ECU |
58 |
F |
ORU |
72 |
SDak |
86 |
F |
NFla |
68 |
KennSt |
85 |
F |
Toled |
88 |
NIU |
80 |
F(OT) |
Longw |
72 |
Radf |
79 |
F |
Ball |
109 |
CenMI |
100 |
F(OT) |
TxSt |
67 |
GaSo |
70 |
F |
CenAR |
61 |
NOrl |
84 |
F |
JU |
69 |
Lipsco |
81 |
F |
ETSU |
65 |
Chat |
51 |
F |
MorSt |
73 |
Belm |
89 |
F |
W IL |
91 |
NDSU |
100 |
F(2OT) |
AF |
78 |
SJSU |
83 |
F(OT) |
FAU |
94 |
USM |
82 |
F |
AzSt |
71 |
WaSt |
86 |
F |
CoCar |
78 |
Troy |
87 |
F |
HiPt |
75 |
ChaSo |
76 |
F |
MsVl |
69 |
PVAM |
82 |
F |
NCAT |
53 |
How |
84 |
F |
SFA |
60 |
SeLA |
52 |
F |
Princ |
66 |
Brown |
51 |
F |
NM |
61 |
Fres |
71 |
F |
Wyo |
87 |
Bois |
91 |
F |
Pepp |
61 |
LoyMa |
82 |
F |
MTSU |
97 |
Marsh |
86 |
F |
TCU |
71 |
IaSt |
84 |
F |
Miss |
80 |
Ark |
98 |
F |
Rut |
65 |
NW |
69 |
F |
Nebras |
58 |
OhSt |
57 |
F |
ChiSt |
65 |
UMKC |
84 |
F |
AlaAM |
64 |
South |
77 |
F |
ASU |
67 |
Alc |
75 |
F |
Norf |
77 |
FlaAM |
65 |
F(2OT) |
Bingha |
55 |
Stony |
76 |
F |
W&M |
85 |
Del |
64 |
F |
JMU |
65 |
Tows |
75 |
F |
VMI |
61 |
Samf |
80 |
F |
WCU |
56 |
Woff |
84 |
F |
Colum |
79 |
Dart |
80 |
F(OT) |
SDSt |
97 |
IPFW |
89 |
F |
NoKY |
77 |
YSU |
81 |
F |
Corn |
75 |
Harv |
87 |
F |
LongB |
66 |
UCSB |
48 |
F |
GWebb |
84 |
Presb |
56 |
F |
FIU |
61 |
LaTec |
77 |
F |
UNCC |
48 |
ODU |
72 |
F |
SIU-E |
84 |
APSU |
92 |
F |
(N/A) |
78 |
HCU |
92 |
F |
Lamar |
63 |
TXAMC |
70 |
F |
NWSt |
80 |
Nich |
78 |
F |
NMSt |
107 |
UTRGV |
101 |
F |
E IL |
82 |
Murr |
65 |
F |
TNTec |
79 |
JSU |
78 |
F(OT) |
UtSt |
66 |
Nev |
77 |
F |
MOSt |
76 |
Drake |
73 |
F |
Niag |
70 |
Sien |
76 |
F |
UTEP |
79 |
Rice |
71 |
F |
Okla |
92 |
OkSt |
96 |
F |
Xav |
61 |
Marq |
83 |
F |
App |
74 |
USA |
87 |
F |
ArkPB |
40 |
TXSo |
78 |
F |
Gram |
62 |
JackSt |
59 |
F(OT) |
E KY |
66 |
TNSt |
68 |
F |
GrCan |
77 |
UtVal |
71 |
F |
UND |
77 |
Web |
68 |
F |
PorSt |
82 |
Mont |
85 |
F |
N CO |
87 |
IdaSt |
81 |
F |
CSBak |
51 |
Seatt |
48 |
F |
HI |
82 |
CAPoly |
61 |
F |
USF |
65 |
Portl |
51 |
F |
UCDav |
72 |
CS-Ful |
79 |
F |
USD |
60 |
SCla |
58 |
F(2OT) |
UCRiv |
60 |
UCIrv |
79 |
F |
LOUISVILLE -- Louisville coach Rick Pitino knows each game the rest of the season will be a battle. On Saturday, the Cardinals hosts a Virginia Tech team trying to secure its entry into the NCAA Tournament.
"This is a tough team," Pitino said of the Hokies (18-7, 7-6 ACC). "They have had some great games. They beat Virginia, Duke and they were down late in the Pittsburgh game and came back and won it. They are playing good basketball right now."
The eighth-ranked Cardinals (21-5, 9-4) just beat a pair of teams in Miami and Syracuse who were playing their way into an at-large NCAA Tournament bid, and the rest of Louisville's schedule appears loaded with more tourney contenders starting with the Hokies.
Virginia Tech appears to be on the right side of the NCAA Selection Bubble. There's no doubt in Pitino's mind.
"This is an NCAA Tournament team," Pitino said. "They are going to get a bid. They are around 35, 36 in the RPI and they have played a very tough schedule. They are in, but they are playing for seeding."
A bid this season would be Viginia Tech's first since 2007. Hokies coach Buzz Williams has changed everything at Virginia Tech. The Hokies were last in the ACC in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15. They were 11-22 in Williams' first season on campus in 2014-15 and have gone 38-22 since then.
"I think there is a change," junior guard Justin Bibbs told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "The culture is changing. We're winning more games and people enjoy watching it. I think there's a change and I'm happy to be a part of it."
Louisville and Virginia Tech are old rivals, having been in the same league back in the old Metro Conference days. The Cardinals and Hokies have played 38 times, with Louisville winning the last 11 straight. They didn't play each other from 1995-2015.
"I think we sent them to the line 38 times last year," Pitino said of last season's 91-83 win in Blacksburg, Va. "That's the thing that concerns you the most. They look to draw fouls on every play. ... Everybody has to be ready to contribute in this game."
Louisville has been statistically one of the best defensive teams in the country this season, but Pitino has criticized the Cardinals' one-on-one defense. Virginia Tech leads the ACC in effective field goal percentage at 55.4 percent.
"You have got to play good help defense," Pitino said. "What concerns me most about this team is that we are not good against straight-line drives. ... In this game we have to be very careful with defense because we are down numbers."
Louisville won't have reserve small forward VJ King vs. Virginia Tech. He had a thigh bruise in practice this week. Pitino said reserve guard Tony Hicks, who has been out for four weeks with a broken hand, will miss two more weeks after an X-ray this week.
"Tony was X-rayed today and we got some bad news. We thought he would be back Monday, but he will be out another two weeks," Pitino said. "We are disappointed in that news and VJ King won't play with a thigh bruise. We are out four scholarships again."
Louisville has been playing this season without two scholarship players after taking self-imposed penalties as punishment for NCAA violations. The Cardinals played with just seven scholarship players earlier this month at Virginia, a 71-55 loss. Louisville played six games earlier this season without starting point guard Quentin Snider, who was out with a strained hip flexor.
"I think we are confident because of what we have gone through," Pitino said.
Neither team is at full strength. Virginia Tech forward Chris Clarke is out for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee. He was injured in the second half vs. Virginia.
"Well, they become a little better outside shooting, but they certainly lose rebounding in certain areas," Pitino said. "They are better in some areas and not as good in some others."
Clarke, a 6-foot-6 sophomore wing, had started 19 games for the Hokies and was the leading rebounder, averaging 6.7 boards. He was also averaging 11.4 points.
Team Record Comparison
Standings | GB | W-L | Aw/Hm | Stk | L10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Louisville |