#35 R.P.I. Virginia Tech @ #5 R.P.I. Louisville:

Virginia Tech basketball travels back in Mister Peabody’s “wayback machine” to yesteryear and the Metro Conference days of visiting Denny Crum and his red polyester blazer that never spit the bit on Saturday afternoon at 1pm.

The Hokies and the Cards used to do battle once upon the 1980’s time and played some damn fine intra league basketball games vs. one another ~30 long years ago. Nowadays the Cardinals are conference(d) with us all over once again in the A.c.c. and clash once more on at 1pm The A.c.c. Network (check: local listings). Louisville enters this contest nationally ranked (#7) at 21 up and 5 down; and 9-4 in Atlantic Coast terms and has been playing fairly well of late. As the Cards have won six of their last seven are in second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference race and they still do have a shot a finishing the A.c.c. regular season #1. So you’d have to think that’s enough to dial them in for us | whereas we/Virginia Tech basketball are coming off of two very emotional last second contests, one of which exacted quite the physical toll. Though who will win here over in Kentucky? Read on to find, out…

Louisville Head Coach: Richard Andrew “Rick” Pitino: Age=64, 765–265 (.743) overall, 411-137 (.750) at Louisville.

Baller Pitino was captain of the St. Dominic High School basketball team in nearby Oyster Bay, Long Island. He entered the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1970. He was a standout guard for the Minutemen basketball team. His 329 career assists rank 10th all-time at UMass. He led the team in assists as a junior and senior. The 168 assists as a senior is the eighth-best single season total ever there. Pitino was a freshman at the same time future N.b.a. legend Julius Erving spent his junior (and final) year at UMass. After which student Pitino earned his u.grad’ diploma in 1974.

Coach Pitino only enjoys two National Championship blings (Kentucky 1996 and Louisville 2o13); and a paltry 27 conference titles spread across four schools combined! He has won National Coach of the Year, thrice; and Conference Coach of the Year four times. Coach Pitino is the only men’s coach in NCAA history to lead three different schools—Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville—to a Final-4. The coach Pitino coaching tree has only spawned a mind-boggling 26 fully accredited big whistlers and only nine ex-Pitino ballers have gone on to wear a big whistle of their own; with another seven currently stationed as assistants; wow!

Horseman Pitino has been involved in the sport of thoroughbred horse racing as the lead partner in Celtic Pride Stable and the Ol Memorial Stable. Among his notable horses have been A. P. Valentine and Halory Hunter.

Family man Pitino does have five living children, he also has a reposed son Daniel, died in 1987 from congenital heart (may St.Daniel bless). One brother-in-law (Billy Minardi) was killed during the hellish cowardly terror attacks on the World Trade Center 9/11 and another bro-in-law (Don Vogt) was run over and killed by a N.Y.C. cabbie a few months after that (Lord have, mercy).

Coach Pitino team’s are known for sticky defense and 3-ponit bombers; making them the true first-mover backcourt or Guard reliant template team well before the S.Curry PS3 era ever dawned.

Cardinals at a glance:

• 3rd in 3-point percentage D allowed (28.3%)!
• 7th in blocks (7.9 bpg)!
• 8th in FG percentage allowed (38.7%)!
• 20th in scoring D allowed (63.2 ppg).
• 21st in turnover margin (+3.3 tpg).
• 3oth in rebounding margin (+6 rpg).
• Everything else, 2o6th or superior.
• 1 injury (Coach God Bless).

L’ville Returning Starters=2

Cardinal Strengths:

• Leading scorer and 6’3”, 2oo lb.  t-sophomore off-Guard, one #45 Donovan Mitchell counts as a strength. As does his team leading 15.7 ppg, his 4.7 rpg and 2.8 apg. from a nearly college football Fullback looking body. Mitch’s shooting is just so-so (if that), checking in at 41% from the floor and 35% from beyond the arc; nevertheless, his defense is vice like indeed. As Donovan might just be the best individual defensive stopper or eraser in backcourt A.c.c. terms right about now. 2.2 steals in a game is a career high for some kids though that’s a season for Mister Mitchell. No wonder his nickname is an arachnophobic “the spider”, as yah; you prolly don’t want to get handcuffed with a guy like this checking you. Donovan says his favor actor is… LeBron James; LOL! Not sure how T.I.C. that one was, although all the world’s a stage and this hooping thespian acts like he wants the spotlight full-time. The only knock here is his shooting, though this is a Wing scorer by trade; not a full-time spot-up Reggie Miller wing shooter. This from the no.31 kid outta high school according to Rivals who only won two straight Prep School National Championships (Brewster Academy, Conn.) to close his scholastic career. Said to have been a pretty fair to middling pitcher in high school baseball as well -as his pops (Donovan Sr.) was a seven year Houston Astro Pro’- thus making this athletic scorer the fashionable pick to be Louisville’s next break-out star.

  

• 6’2”, 175 lb. third year Pt.G. Quentin Snider was the other all-conference caliber pre-season pick to be the next alpha-Card’ player over in Louisville, Ky. 12.2 ppg and the gold medal at 4.1 apg along with 2.7 boards is not bad; although his shooting is even worse than Mitchell’s. As 36% overall and an odd 38% from long distance is just not quite up to Power Conference 2o17 snuff. That being science-fact said, Q’ has a rep’ for taking good care of the rock, he sets the table well enough and his outside game was better last year (41%). As you have to wonder just how well his pointy elbow 175 lb. frame is wearing a team high 31 mpg as a full-time starter for the first time this campaign? He is an all-A.c.c. Academic Men’s Basketball team member and he was Mister Basketball for the state of Kentucky (2o14) while being ranked 33rd outta high school by Rivals. So this is a heady enough kid who has some talent(s) to work with; he just needs to figure out his overall shot; and he might just been an overseas roundball Qb Pro’.
• Initially Sudanese t-sophomore Deng Adel is a 6’7”, 2oo lb. Melbourne Australian imported S/F Swing baller who is third in scoring for Louisville at 11.4 ppg. Deng is also hauling in a serviceable 4.5 rpg with a couple of assists on 40% from the field and 35% from downtown. (READERs note: do you see a shooting trend, here?) Deng is said to employ an all-around floor game as a kid who can score both inside and out as the 23rd ranked baller (by: Scout) coming outta one year of high school ball down in the sunshine state of Florida. Adel was a prime Hokie recruiting target as his ginormous 7′ wingspan prolly inflated his national rankings -though no fault of his own- just a a scosche. As Adel’s double-double type high school numbers are nice enough; and he is a rangy guy in terms of his testing and measurables matrix; though he’s still a bit under-cooked as hardwood trade-craft goes. Let us ask back in 2019; as there may just be some headroom between Deng and his eventual ceiling per all those athletics; here.

  

• Jaylen Johnson and #12 Mangok Mathiang are your workhorse rebounders upfront. 6’10”, 230 lb. r-senior year PF/C combo big Mangok is also from Melbourne, Australia and so are his 7 ppg, 6.2 caroms and one swat. Mangok is back from a broken foot (God bless); and he is known as a near the rim scorer and sweaty type worker-bee rebounder/defender. Jaylen goes 6’9”, 230 lbs. as a home position third year Four (P/F) who entered the season with a tag of needing to be more active on the glass. On the flip side, he has shown slow though very steady improvement all-around since entering Louisville after giving up on an interesting prep’ career as an ex’ high school Qb (of all things). Leading the way at 59% from the floor and a decent looking 33% from downtown as a true P/F does not suck. J.J. was ranked 55th by 24/7 out of high school although his scholastic numbers were not so awe inspiring upon review.

Cardinal Weaknesses:

• 6’2”, 18o lb. final year (Penn’, Ivy League transfer) lead-G Tony Weeks and his busted right-hand are scheduled to be sidelined 2-4 more weeks (Godspeed). Which really sucks as this is gonna run right up against his remaining career eligibility itself from a kid who dropped nearly 14 points the last full year he played as this Philly street-baller that can flat out score that rock.
• Accordingly; Louisville is not exactly an offensive whirling dervish at the moment; and could use a(nother) scorer just like ^that^.
• In particular some half-court offensive question marks remain —in particular when Louisville’s pressing sets fail to force the (easy basket) tempo.
• And not much, else, as this is a parsimonious defensiveness team nobody will wanna draw in their March Madness bracket when play-off pacing slows in Coach Pitino’s and Louisville’s favor.

Louisville Bench: (depth=2+)

Anas Osama Mahmoud and Ray Spalding provide the true Cardinal bench punch in a seven-man rotation and change. Anas is merely a 7’1”, 215 lb. string-bean Forward from Cairo Egypt. Anas is quad-lingual and an engineering major at UofL, so you know the mind is most willing here. The body is netting you 6.3 ppg with 3.7 rpg and the team lead in 61% shooting and at 2.2 bpg. Anas was ranked 99th outta high school per ESPN, although is scholastic numbers were highly defensive in nature. That being said, he is a natural and gifted -albeit a lean- defender and things like that never go cold. Ray is a 6’10”, 215 lb. junior year P/F who stayed home -literally- after having come-up in Louisville itself. Raymond is said to be an accurate internal player who defends and redounds well enough; 57% on 5.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg and a block in relief would seem to agree; though his 54% free-throwing could use some medicine as well.

S/G David Levitch is 6’3”, 18o lb. final year walk-on, gym-rat, glue-guy who plays for calming homeopathic reasons, experience and leadership as much as anything else. 2.3 ppg, a board and a dime on 39% from long-range is probably just about the full extent of this kid’s Gift’s. Though David can shoot, he does not make mistakes and there are worse things we’ve all had said about all of us.  5’12” r-fr. and 17o lb. back-up Pt.G Ryan McMahon and his boy-next-door looks are know for being a deep shooting lead-G who has to play the Point via physical definition. Ryan drops you 2.9 ppg on 39% as a pure gunner from the outside.

Debuting V.J. King was said to be the recruiting crown jewel of last year’s signees. All 6’7”, 19o lbs. of explosion based stratospheric leaping of him –as VeeJay is a fast-break open-floor dunker with a very decent mid-range throwback game to consigliêre all of that vertical freakiness. 6.7 ppg with a nifty looking 48% from deep is no bad start; from the Fairfax Va., escapee state titlist (Paul VI H.S.) native. Three high schools in three years (Va., Oh., Ga.) is a red-flag though winning The Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year award last year is not. His father was a 10 season overseas Pro’, and accordingly, you’d have to think there is some kinda professional level to this kids game… be that domestic or exported.

Illation, conclusion (s) and OPT digits:

Number of Cards who could start @Tech=5'ish.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… yet again another Virginia Tech A,c.c. basketball opponent hearkens me back to the Clemson and/or uva preview(s). As Louisville -same as Clemson- is yet another offensively challenged opponent; albeit an even nastier more emeritus one on defense. That might just also be the least accurate pure shooting team marksmanship wise as the Atlantic Coast big-3 defensive stopper type teams’ go.

And curiously enough; Coach Buzz and company have fared pretty well this season vs. offensively limited teams no matter how well said offensively limited teams defensed.

However, how well can we R.A.T.T. expect an insalubrious Hokie hoops club to fare out on the Bluegrass road in this one? Let us ask our pet objective analytics to find, out…

---

• VT is actually +1 in rest here and Louisville is coming off an OT contest. EDGE=Tech.
• Louisville is 93% at home and VT is 38% on the road. EDGE=Cards.
• Overall season long, and Louisville is up +9 in scoring margin, only 1% in FG percentage margin, 4% in 3-point percentage margin, +8 in rebounding margin (although VT is 2% on FTA’s). Nice EDGE=Cards.
• On the Home/Away splits, Louisville is up a staggering +28 in scoring margin, +12% on FG percentage margin and on 3-point percentage margin alike and a whopping +21 on rebounding margin. BIG EDGE=Cards!
• Last 5-game trends, and Louisville is +12 in scoring margins, both are virtually deadlocked in FG percentage margin, though +12% in 3-point percentage margin and +8 in rebounding margin each favoring L’ville. EDGE=Cards.

So, while I do agree with what I my ownself wrote above -regarding how well Buzz seems to match-up with offensively challenged teams- I just have a sense here that this gimpy and hard run of late O&M racehorse is set to bounce; which in handicapping vernacular that means…

bounce (intransitive verb)

1. A poor race run directly following a a career-best, or a near-career best performance.
2. A team or individual performer who may have outperformed themselves in recent terms and are due for a sporting market correction.

As Coach Buzz and company have looked like Summa Cum Laude cardiology majors for the last couple of games and the Tin Man and most of the rest of the 348 other men’s D-1 hoops programs are highly, I say again, highly envious of …Hokie Heart.

That lofty praise altogether rightfully bestowed; this game vs. such a stalwart defensive team, with so much hidden offensive recruiting star-power looks like a mental and physical Bridge Too Far to Polish Major General Sosabowski, and to me.

 ***

I’m NOT want to subscribe to “moral victories” and even less want to subscribe to: “throwaway games”; nevertheless, the pious truth is that we stand a much better chance of beating the four teams after Louisville than we do of upsetting Louisville @Louisville.

Accordingly, although Buzz did a brilliantly efficacious job of spacing his timeouts and perhaps even a well placed foul up at Pitt, I would not worry to much about that here.

As our four-game post-season determining/qualifying bracket challenge basically erupts Tuesday night at home vs. Clemson —and I assure you good Sir’s, it will not be ending at ~3:30pm over in Louisville.

(86% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=59, Louisville=76

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**

V.A.D.A. approved