#77 R.P.I. Virginia Tech @ #22 R.P.I. Louisville:

Virginia Tech men’s basketball visits one of the true bastions or meccas of collegiate basketball when they sojourn 384 miles west to manifest their destiny over in Louisville Kentucky; Saturday at 4pm (East time) on ESPN2.

The Hokies have won two much needed Atlantic Coast games vs. quite possibly two of the bottom-3 teams in the league this campaign. The Louisville Cardinals; even in the midst of attempting to rebound from so much off-court rubbish; present a much firmer opposition at 13 up and 4 down on the season. As the Cards still play some pretty smart looking defense; and are still in quest of just enough offense; even sans their former Hall of Fame coach. However, who will win over in the bourbon distillery state? Read on, to find, out…

Louisville (interim) Head Coach: David Christopher Padgett: age=32, – overall, at . Has a rep’ for:
$800,000.oo (with $200k in benchmark incentives)

6′11″, 245 lb. (interim) Head Coach who can still go out there and “do work” with his ballers and demonstrate and/or scrimmage; if need be. That would be the relatively unknown former Jayhawk and then Cardinal ex-baller now Coach David Padgett.

As a high school senior, baller Padgett was the top-rated center and considered the fourth-rated prospect overall in America by Inside Hoops. He picked up a Jr. World Championship gold-medal and then signed with the (soon) departing Roy Williams. David played a year at K.U. made a memorable game winning shot and took his game to Louisville and with the now ill fated coach Rick Pitino. One (God Bless) broken kneecap later, and two all-Big East selections and he had a fair to middling Cardinal career. Averaging 9.6 ppg and 5.2 rpg for his collegiate career; where he ranks 2nd all-time in Louisville FG percentage history dropping a cool 61.3% of his shoots for the Card’s.

Though undrafted by an N.B.A. team, Padgett was signed in July 2008 by the Miami Heat, and added to its summer league team. However, Padgett was waived by the Heat on October 26, 2008. After spending the 2008-09 season in Spain, Padgett was named to the Portland Trail Blazers 2009 summer league team. Although, Padgett was not invited to training camp, and proceeded to play the next year in Spain with U.B. La Palma in the Canary Islands.

Following his second season in Spain, Padgett unofficially retired and returned to Louisville as the team’s assistant S&C coach, working under his former head coach Rick Pitino. After spending the 2010–11 season in that position, he left to become a full-time assistant at IUPUI, serving in that role until IUPUI head coach Todd Howard was fired at the end of the 2013–14 season.

Padgett then returned to the Louisville program, and was initially hired in the 2014 off-season as assistant video coordinator. Shortly after he was hired at U of L, he was promoted to director of basketball operations. Padgett was promoted to an assistant coach position at Louisville, in March 2015. Padgett was named acting head coach at Louisville on September 29, 2017, amid FBI investigations of various basketball programs that ultimately led to the firings of both Pitino and Cardinal athletic director Tom Jurich.

Padgett’s basketball bloodlines run deep as his father played at the University of Nevada and his uncle played at New Mexico. His grandfather Jim played for Oregon State and his sister played for the University of San Diego.

Padgett.edu did graduate from Louisville and David and his wife, Megan, have two sons: Nolan and Gavin.

Louisville at a glance:

• 2nd in swats (7.7 bpg)!
• 10th in FG percentage D (38.1% allowed)!
• 20th in 3-point percentage D (30% allowed).
• 20th in defensive rebounding (20.84 d-rpg).
• 49th in scoring D allowed (66 ppg).
• 127th in scoring O (76.6 ppg).

Cardinals Returning Starters=4

Louisville Strengths:

• This is a very deep hoops squad folks, that was tabbed A.c.c. 2nd or 3rd by all the preview magazines.
• Second year 6′7″, 200 lb. Sudan, Africa then by way of Melbourne Australia native Deng Adel is the Louisville alpha in scoring at 15.1 ppg. He is a two time all-A.c..c. Academic Men’s Basketball team selection; three cheers for that. Deng grabs you 4.3 rpg with 2.8 apg on 47% shooting overall and 82% from the FT-line. His 29% metric from deep could use a little polish though his history of (left) knee sprains may have held him back here a scosche. Deng was a soccer and T&F star in Australia so you know his footwork and agility are not wanting. He did have a VT.hoops schoolie offer and Deng has a whopping 7′ wingspan; wow! Lindy’s has Deng as 1st-string pre-season all-A.c.c. Deng has something of a rep’ for being an inconsistent though multi level scorer. As his offensive game has short, mid and long range capability alike. As he did improve all of last year and wound up bearishly vetting his N.B.A. stock accordingly. Seems to have some spring to his game and I’d be hesitant to type he has reached his ceiling yet. As Deng is prolly a pro’ only question is where? His bio reads: “What impresses him the most about Coach Pitino: his honesty, will to win and emphasis on the defensive end.” Dang. Maybe the new director of basketball operations could do Deng a favor and backspace that “bleep” right on out!
• Raymond Spalding and his 6′10″ and 215 lbs. lead Louisville in rebounding at 9.6 rpg and in swipes at 1.7 spg; and to be quite frank, I do not recall the last time I saw someone leading their squad in each of those; at the very same time. As this is one handsy or active post player this Mr. Spaulding down low. No word yet on any relation to Judge Smails. Spaulding was said to be a breakout modern P/F with pretty high localized Louisville native expectations. Spaulding has an absurd 7′7″ wingspan and is third in scoring at 11.3 ppg. With a steady looking 1.8 bpg on 49% overall. He is an A.A.U. national champion and yet you kinda wonder if this third year baller could be doing a bit more? As the athletics and the metrics are all there, in spades in point of fact.
• One #14 and senior year Anas Mahmoud is a big ole 7′, 215 lb. total rejection or shot-blocking machine at a whopping 3.7 bpg! As this Cairo, Egypt imported baller could start his countries very own S.W.A.T. squad when he gets back. True, Anas prolly does need to mix in a steak and a protein shake before his return; although this is one vertical send-back type baller. He too is an all-A.c.c. Academic Men’s Basketball team selection; UL.edu props insert (____) here; check. Anas -God Bless- does have a history of concussions and right ankle sprains; though he does speak four languages: English, Arabic, French and German. Anas was no.99 in the ESPN recruiting rankings; he won the scholastic African continental basketball championship and he is a rarefied college hoops engineering major. Good on him!

  

• Pt.Guard Quentin Snider is a 6′2″, 180 lb. homegrown Louisville area kid who elected to stay home for college. Right now he nets you a second best 12.2 ppg on a decent looking 35% from range. Q’ drops a team leading 4.2 apg and collects 3.2 rpg in his spare time. The book on Snider says that he’s an energizer bunny high voltage type player, and a well seasoned (76 game starter) senior type leader and team captain for it. Snider has a very solid looking 2.77 assist to turnover ratio, so his handles are legit; very. Snider was honored as Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball and was ranked 33rd nationally by Rivals.com. Don’t know if he’s quite exceeded all of that although I do know he’s had a solid career and we could all do worse.

Louisville Weaknesses:

• The book says Louisville lacks a pure go to scorer | when, needed.
• Brian Bowen II’s off-court ills are nobodies strength; as the 6′7″, 190 lb. Saginaw, Michigan native has been kicked to the bluegrass curb for see: below. Bowen was the final and rather latent ***** or 5-star signee in his recruiting class nationally and his Louisville signature was a surprise to many recruiting services. Bowen II is said to be a full 5-position player same as Magic Johnson. I personally don’t know if all of this is code for this/that, although Benji Button and I both know this is one ¢urious tale…
• and oh yes… there is this little matter of some kinda G-man agency or Federal Bureau of something’s investigation into bribery or something like that. That may have led to the dismissal of some coach by the name of: Pitino, or something like that…
• (as I started reading up on this Louisville quagmire… the more and more I did not wanna cover this… nevertheless, suffice it to say Louisville is reeling from these off-court scandalizing matters; possibly, severely)

Card’s Bench: (depth=5+)

Technically speaking, there are no less than six different pine squad guys here who average from 7.7 ppg down to 2.9 ppg. There may not be a star here; though the Cardinal bench donates ~30 combined ppg and nearly 15 aggregate boards to your relief fund cause.

6′, 170 lb. Soph. Ryan McMahon is a shooting specialist as a substitute One. 7.7 ppg at 39% from beyond the arc is no bad thing. Ryan was the 2015 somewhat overlooked AAA Florida Player of the Year. With McMahon said to be a Baltic Avenue man’s Mark Price lyte.

Dwayne Sutton goes 6′5″ and 205 lbs. as a undersized P/F-Wing. He of the double walk-on, once transferred (U.N.C.-Asheville) finally earned a U of L schollie last semester fame baller. Great on him as every team needs an overachieving worker-bee feel-good story such as Dwayne who relentlessly drones on and on and on. Sutton spearheads the L’ville bench in caroms with 4 rpg, on 3.9 ppg and a not half-bad 38% from range. As he did average 13 ppg and 6 rpg as a walk-on rookie at U.N.C.-Asheville; where he did most of his damage close to the rim. And yes, he three is a Louisville homeboy.

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Cardinals who could start @Tech=3 to 4.

the takeaway:

The takeaway here is… that last game out @Wake I surely loved our emphasis on the lightening strike outlet pass off a miss and in getting the ball across midcourt in 2-3 tempo needy seconds. Outstanding; in a word; nevertheless, user-friendly is the pace that the Deacons keep.

The Louisville Cardinals’ pace? Not so much… as this is a pressing, in your shirt and shot-clock smothering team. This to me avers that this devolves into a less elegant halfcourt game. That tells me that whether or not Hokie outside shots are dropping tells the tale here.

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the skinny…

Virginia Tech basketball has dropped 12 consecutive games to Louisville making you wonder out-loud if an R.A.T.T. upset is in, the… Cards?

Louisville may be starting to emerge from the tar and pitch abyss of (im)moral self-cannibalization as well.  As Louisville has basically gone back to work and has won eight of its last 10 games and is doing so with an astringently stout defense.

the call…

Admittedly, I would not often pick Virginia Tech to upset Louisville when playing next door to the Kentucky Derby. Possibly never would I do this in point of fact— and it is not that I love or even like our chances here… I don’t.

…that being trustfully said… if we are gonna steal one in these next five tough looking games; @Louisville is a good a place as any for a five-finger discount.

The Cards are .91o at home whereas we/Virginia Tech are .5oo on the road. Per usual I did study the overall, Home/Away and most recent 5-game trends. Unusually enough, nothing *that* demonstrative appeared as this data-mine hath run dry.

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Though the Louisville S.O.S. (strength of schedule) analysis did make me wonder… it left me wondering if Louisville is a very good team that is actually a few bricks shy of a load on being a truly great team.

Not saying we do abscond with this one; I am saying I have this one much closer than most. As methinks the Forum Guide has this one about right… Louisville by eight; or less —and I’m pretty sure V.Tech by a basket or so on the buzzer beating upset tag is less than Louisville by eight.

(65% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=7o, Louisville=68

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**