GAME 30
Virginia Tech (16-13, 6-12 ACC) at Louisville (4-25, 2-16 ACC)
February 28, 2023 | 9 p.m. ET
KFC Yum! Center | Louisville, Ky.
MEDIA INFO
Listen: Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9 FM & WGTK 970 AM flagship); Streaming (Paul Rogers, pxp | Bob Valvano, Analysis)
Watch: ACC Network (Roy Philpott, pxp | Perry Clark, analyst)
Live Stats:Sidearm Stats
PROMOTIONS/TICKETS
Single-Game Tickets
Senior Night/Wear Red for the Seniors: Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite red Cards gear as we celebrate the senior class
TOP STORYLINES
• Louisville will honor seniors El Ellis and Sydney Curry before the game at the 13:00 mark on the clock, along with senior managers Sam Ajagbe, Dillon Carson and Kevin Nauert. Ellis and Curry are both in their second seasons as Cardinals after joining the program from the junior-college ranks a year ago. UofL is 17-5 in its last 22 Senior Day games.
• El Ellis is averaging 23.6 points per game over the last five games while shooting 53% from the field, 40% from 3 and 91% from the free-throw line. After having a positive or even assist-to-turnover ratio just three times in the first nine games of the season, Ellis has been positive or even in 17 of the last 20 games. In his last 15 games since 2023 began, he has 75 assists against just 47 turnovers. As of Sunday, Ellis is 1 of 19 players nationally with at least 520 points and 130 assists.
• Across the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac 12, senior guard El Ellis is 1 of 9 players to rank in the top six in their league in both scoring and assists. Ellis (2nd in scoring, 6th in assists) is 1 of 2 such players in the ACC along with Wake Forest's Tyree Appleby.
• Over the last four games, junior forward JJ Traynor is averaging 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds while making 7 of 11 shots from 3-point range. Traynor has made three times as many 3s this season (21) as he did in his first two seasons combined (7). He scored a career-high 16 points in back-to-back games against Clemson and Duke.
• In the last seven games, Louisville has made 86 of 100 free throws (86.0%). Before Georgia Tech, the Cardinals shot 90% or better from the free-throw line in the previous two games and 80% or better for the previous six games, both of which were program firsts since at least 1974.
• Louisville started the game at Duke on Feb. 20 with an 18-9 lead, marking the eighth loss for the Cardinals this season in which they've led by at least eight points at one time, including six times in ACC play.
• Louisville had 13 or fewer turnovers just four times in the first 20 games of the season. The Cardinals have now had 13 or fewer turnovers in six of the last nine games. On the other side of the ball, Louisville is averaging 7.7 3-point makes per game in the last 10 games after averaging just 5.9 made 3s across the first 19 games.
• Freshman forward Kamari Lands has made 30 of 32 free throws across the last 20 games. Lands has made 47 of 50 free throws overall this season (94%), making him one of four players in the country – and the only freshman – shooting 94% or better from the stripe on at least 50 attempts.
• After scoring 10-plus points just three times in the first 21 games, Kamari Lands has reached double figures four times in the last eight games. Over that eight-game span, Lands is 11-for-24 (46%) from 3-point range.
HISTORY VS. VIRGINIA TECH (UofL leads 36-9)
Last Meeting: Virginia Tech 75, Louisville 43
March 1, 2022 | Blacksburg, Va.
Justyn Mutts had 14 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and blocked two shots as Virginia Tech ended a 17-game losing streak to Louisville with a 75-43 rout.
Virginia Tech had won nine of its last 10 games and secured at least the seventh seed into the conference tournament.
Keve Aluma and Darius Maddox added 11 points apiece for the Hokies. Nahiem Alleyne and Sean Pedulla each had nine points. Maddox and Pedulla combined for six of the Hokies' 12 3-pointers.
Sydney Curry scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Louisville, which shot 36% (17 of 47) overall and committed 18 turnovers.
The Cardinals made the first bucket of the game before Virginia Tech answered with 12 straight points. Alleyne made a 3-pointer between two 3s from Pedulla as the Hokies stretched their lead to 13 points with 4:18 remaining in the first half.
A Matt Cross 3 cut Louisville's deficit to 38-27 early in the second half, but the Cardinals didn't get closer.
The Hokies' last win in the series was on February 13, 1991, a 72-56 home victory.
Virginia Tech (16-13, 6-12 ACC) at Louisville (4-25, 2-16 ACC)
February 28, 2023 | 9 p.m. ET
KFC Yum! Center | Louisville, Ky.
MEDIA INFO
Listen: Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9 FM & WGTK 970 AM flagship); Streaming (Paul Rogers, pxp | Bob Valvano, Analysis)
Watch: ACC Network (Roy Philpott, pxp | Perry Clark, analyst)
Live Stats:Sidearm Stats
PROMOTIONS/TICKETS
Single-Game Tickets
Senior Night/Wear Red for the Seniors: Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite red Cards gear as we celebrate the senior class
TOP STORYLINES
• Louisville will honor seniors El Ellis and Sydney Curry before the game at the 13:00 mark on the clock, along with senior managers Sam Ajagbe, Dillon Carson and Kevin Nauert. Ellis and Curry are both in their second seasons as Cardinals after joining the program from the junior-college ranks a year ago. UofL is 17-5 in its last 22 Senior Day games.
• El Ellis is averaging 23.6 points per game over the last five games while shooting 53% from the field, 40% from 3 and 91% from the free-throw line. After having a positive or even assist-to-turnover ratio just three times in the first nine games of the season, Ellis has been positive or even in 17 of the last 20 games. In his last 15 games since 2023 began, he has 75 assists against just 47 turnovers. As of Sunday, Ellis is 1 of 19 players nationally with at least 520 points and 130 assists.
• Across the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac 12, senior guard El Ellis is 1 of 9 players to rank in the top six in their league in both scoring and assists. Ellis (2nd in scoring, 6th in assists) is 1 of 2 such players in the ACC along with Wake Forest's Tyree Appleby.
• Over the last four games, junior forward JJ Traynor is averaging 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds while making 7 of 11 shots from 3-point range. Traynor has made three times as many 3s this season (21) as he did in his first two seasons combined (7). He scored a career-high 16 points in back-to-back games against Clemson and Duke.
• In the last seven games, Louisville has made 86 of 100 free throws (86.0%). Before Georgia Tech, the Cardinals shot 90% or better from the free-throw line in the previous two games and 80% or better for the previous six games, both of which were program firsts since at least 1974.
• Louisville started the game at Duke on Feb. 20 with an 18-9 lead, marking the eighth loss for the Cardinals this season in which they've led by at least eight points at one time, including six times in ACC play.
• Louisville had 13 or fewer turnovers just four times in the first 20 games of the season. The Cardinals have now had 13 or fewer turnovers in six of the last nine games. On the other side of the ball, Louisville is averaging 7.7 3-point makes per game in the last 10 games after averaging just 5.9 made 3s across the first 19 games.
• Freshman forward Kamari Lands has made 30 of 32 free throws across the last 20 games. Lands has made 47 of 50 free throws overall this season (94%), making him one of four players in the country – and the only freshman – shooting 94% or better from the stripe on at least 50 attempts.
• After scoring 10-plus points just three times in the first 21 games, Kamari Lands has reached double figures four times in the last eight games. Over that eight-game span, Lands is 11-for-24 (46%) from 3-point range.
HISTORY VS. VIRGINIA TECH (UofL leads 36-9)
Last Meeting: Virginia Tech 75, Louisville 43
March 1, 2022 | Blacksburg, Va.
Justyn Mutts had 14 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and blocked two shots as Virginia Tech ended a 17-game losing streak to Louisville with a 75-43 rout.
Virginia Tech had won nine of its last 10 games and secured at least the seventh seed into the conference tournament.
Keve Aluma and Darius Maddox added 11 points apiece for the Hokies. Nahiem Alleyne and Sean Pedulla each had nine points. Maddox and Pedulla combined for six of the Hokies' 12 3-pointers.
Sydney Curry scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Louisville, which shot 36% (17 of 47) overall and committed 18 turnovers.
The Cardinals made the first bucket of the game before Virginia Tech answered with 12 straight points. Alleyne made a 3-pointer between two 3s from Pedulla as the Hokies stretched their lead to 13 points with 4:18 remaining in the first half.
A Matt Cross 3 cut Louisville's deficit to 38-27 early in the second half, but the Cardinals didn't get closer.
The Hokies' last win in the series was on February 13, 1991, a 72-56 home victory.
