Hokies Fall in Shootout With #8 Louisville 94-90

Virginia Tech, coming off a gritty win in Pittsburgh, traveled to Kentucky to play #8 Louisville. To summarize, the game was a shootout. Both teams were lights out shooting the ball, combining to go an absurd 29-48 from downtown. The Hokies broke a record for most three-pointers made in a game in school history, against one of the best perimeter defenses in the country in what was perhaps their best offensive output this season.

Ty Outlaw got the Hokies rolling early from deep, leading the team in scoring after the first half. But it was Seth Allen - again - that led the Hokies in Saturday afternoon’s contest. The redshirt senior was on fire from deep, hitting on his first five attempts from deep in the second half, and finished the game with a remarkable 25 points on 8-13 shooting.

The game was teetering back in forth in terms of momentum, but just as the Hokies used a 7-point possession against Pittsburgh to put them in front, Louisville used a 6-point possession which gave the Cardinals a critical four point lead.

Usually, scoring 90 points on Louisville means a win, considering the Cardinals only allow just under 64 points per game. However, the Hokies failed to get stops defensively and secure defensive rebounds. As hot as the Hokies were, Louisville was even hotter. The Cardinals’ offensive efficiency was a ridiculously high 154.1, and they outscored the Hokies 26-3 in second chance opportunities. The home side also committed just three turnovers, while the Hokies turned it over nine times.

To be fair, criticizing the Hokies’ performance is useless. With an undermanned and undersized squad, Virginia Tech competed with the #8 team in the country on the road. This game showed that this team deserves to be in the tournament. With three of the last four games at home, the Hokies are very close to reaching the NCAA’s for the first time in a decade.