The No. 19 Louisville Cardinals jumped on the Virginia Tech Hokies early, scoring the first 11 points in the game, and never trailed in a 71-66 victory on Tuesday night in Blacksburg.
Tech’s early issues were due to Louisville’s aggressive defense, turning the ball over eight times in the first nine minutes. Seeking a spark, head coach Mike Young looked to his bench, bringing in sophomore guards Brandon Rechsteiner and Jaydon Young and senior forward Ben Burnham to give the Hokies some offense.
It worked. The Hokies closed the gap to 22-19 behind some impressive outside shooting from Burnham, Young, and Rechsteiner.