Louisville basketball picked up a big win Saturday afternoon as the Cardinals improved their ACC record to 4-3 and improved their overall record to 14-5. The story of the afternoon, of course, was Mikel Brown Jr. making his highly anticipated return to the floor after missing eight games over 42 days.
Louisville fans were eager to see what the team would look like with their former 5-star back, and they were not disappointed. The Cardinals picked up an impressive 85-71 victory after shooting 47 percent from the field and 39 percent from beyond the arc.
With the Cards looking like a Top-10 team once again, here are four notable observations from Louisville’s impressive win over Virginia Tech.
4. Sananda Fru earns third double-double
Sananda Fru continues to shine as the former 4-star earned his third double-double of the season after earning 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Cardinals' starting center impressed many in his Saturday performance after shooting 5-of-8 from the field and adding a 3-pointer as well.
Fru and Brown had a good duo running today, with the point guard and center running an effective pick-and-roll throughout the game, including the tough and-1 bucket at the seven-minute mark that put Louisville back up by double digits. The Cardinals have a special dynamic duo in Brown and Fru, and it was in full effect this afternoon. The two lengthy Cardinals are not only fun to watch on offense but also on defense. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound center added a block and a steal and made his presence felt in the paint all game long.
3. Cardinals defense rise to the occasion
A point of emphasis from Pat Kelsey was limiting the Cardinals' opponents' free-throw attempts. Entering this ACC showdown, Louisville was ranked 236th in the nationas they gave up 21.3 free throws per game. The Cardinals made drastic improvements today after Kelsey challenged them, as Louisville sent Virginia Tech to the line just eight times and allowed only five points from the charity stripe.
The Cards' defense was aggressive tonight for the most part and forced 13 turnovers. Louisville fans would like the Cardinals to play better perimeter defense, as VT shot 53 percent from downtown, but Kelsey challenged his team this week when he said he wanted them “to keep people off the free-throw line,” and they answered this afternoon.
2. Louisville's dominant run to end 1st half
The Cardinals ended the first half on a dominant 19-5 run to put Louisville up 15 heading into the locker room. Louisville stepped up on both ends of the floor as the Cards' 19-5 run lasted the final seven minutes of the half and carried over into the second half, being a key reason why this team won by 14.
After this notable run, the Cardinals never looked back as Virginia Tech next got the game in reach. The Hokies rattled off a little run in the second half, but it was short-lived after Brown found Sananda Fru cutting and earned a tough bucket plus the foul, and shortly, Ryan Conwell splashed a four-point play. It wasn’t the cleanest first 10 minutes of basketball, but that final seven-minute stretch is what shaped this victory for the Cardinals.
1. Mikel Brown Jr. has impressive return
Mikel Brown Jr. made his long-awaited debut this afternoon, and it did not disappoint. The former 5-star point guard got things started right away as he splashed his first in-game shot attempt since Dec. 13 and went on to earn a team-high 20 points. Brown finished the game shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from downtown, while adding six assists, three rebounds, and one steal.
Brown made an immediate impact, running the show all afternoon when he was on the floor. He was creating open shots for his teammates, running an effective offense, and shooting the ball incredibly well. He played 29 minutes in his first game and looked like he didn’t miss a beat.