Looking to extend its return to the national spotlight, No. 21 Louisville travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday.
Under first-year coach Pat Kelsey, Louisville (16-5, 9-1 ACC) has won 10 straight games and is in contention for the league’s regular-season title after sporting a combined 12-52 record over the previous two seasons.
Last time out, the Cardinals built a 24-point halftime lead over Wake Forest en route to Tuesday’s 72-59 home win. Already with their most wins in a season since 2019-20, Kelsey’s team is firing on all cylinders entering February.
“We’re just clicking,” Kelsey said. “You can feel it. We have a lot of momentum, we’re playing well together. Our offense is in a great rhythm and we’re really guarding.”
In Tuesday’s victory, the Cardinals forced 15 Wake Forest turnovers, leading to 17 Louisville points. It’s a trend that Kelsey wants to see his team prolong into the heart of conference play.
“There’s a movement going on with our team from a defensive perspective,” Kelsey said. “It starts in the minds and hearts of each guy in a Louisville jersey. Getting stops matters, taking care of their assignment, picking up for a teammate, those things matter. Defense is an attitude, and our guys have been playing with a chip on their shoulder.”
Offensively, Reyne Smith had 16 points Tuesday and increased his ACC-leading average to 3.9 3-pointers made per game. Chucky Hepburn leads the team with 15.0 points per game, followed by Smith’s 14.5 and Terrence Edwards Jr. with 13.5.
Louisville is 12-2 against Georgia Tech since joining the ACC in the 2014-15 season. It will take a complete effort for the Yellow Jackets to earn an upset Saturday, something they have struggled with throughout the year.
Georgia Tech (9-12, 3-7) led Notre Dame by seven with 5:35 remaining on Tuesday before going scoreless for the next five-plus minutes, eventually falling 71-68 for its fifth loss in six games.
“I feel bad for the guys. I thought they played well enough to win,” Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire said. “Notre Dame made plays down the stretch that we didn’t make.”
Plagued by injuries all year, Stoudamire’s team has used just a seven-man rotation for most of conference play, with Tuesday being no different. Despite injuries to Kowacie Reeves Jr. (9.3 points per game) and Luke O’Brien (6.4 points, 4.4 rebounds per game), Stoudamire maintains that the available players are good enough to start stringing wins together.
“Everybody talks about the injuries, but we’re not a charity case,” Stoudamire said. “We’ve got enough in our locker room to win. We’ve just got to start finishing games and winning games.”
Lance Terry, who has missed two ACC games with injury, leads the team with 15.4 points per game. Javian McCollum, who has been out for four games this year, adds 12.8 per game. One of just two Yellow Jackets to play in all 21 contests this season, Baye Ndongo chips in 11.6 points and 7.5 boards per game.
–Field Level Media
