Georgia Tech @ Louisville preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 19, 2019 ) Louisville 79, Georgia Tech 51

Fifth-ranked Louisville showed Saturday it can win in a hostile environment even when leading scorer Jordan Nwora struggles, and the Cardinals find themselves tied atop the ACC standings entering Wednesday’s home matchup with Georgia Tech. Nwora scored only six at No. 8 Duke, 13 below his average, but freshman guard David Johnson led the way with 19 points in a 79-73 victory that moved the Cardinals into a first-place tie with Florida State.

“If you’re going to win here, especially with them coming off a loss, you’re going to have to figure out a way to be the tougher team for 40 minutes,” Louisville coach Chris Mack told reporters postgame Saturday, after the Cardinals saw a 10-point halftime lead evaporate, then buckled down defensively with five consecutive stops in the final three minutes. The Yellow Jackets are 3-1 in conference road games this season but could be without sophomore guard Michael Devoe, as the team’s leader in scoring (15.9 points), 3-point shooting (41.3 percent) and average minutes (35.4) wore a walking boot on his left foot and did not practice Monday. Georgia Tech fell 63-58 at home Saturday to Virginia, getting 20 points from junior guard Jose Alvarado to lose for the third time in four games. “I know this might sound strange, but I really believe we’ve gotten better,” Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner told the media afterward. “We’re very close to turning the corner.”

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: RSN

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (8-10, 3-5 ACC): Alvarado is averaging 15.8 points on 53.8 percent shooting from the field and 6.4 assists in his past five games, but suffered back spasms after being hit during Saturday’s contest. Senior forward/center James Banks III averages 10.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks after scoring 10 points with nine boards and three steals against Virginia. Junior forward Moses Wright leads the Yellow Jackets in scoring in ACC games at 14.6 points, but had just seven points Saturday on 3-for-10 shooting from the field.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (15-3, 6-1): Johnson added seven assists and three steals at Duke, and earned ACC freshman of the week honors after averaging 15 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field, 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in two games. Nwora finished 3-for-12 from the field Saturday and scored in single figures for just the second time this season, but on the season is averaging 19.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. The Cardinals held Duke to 37.1 percent shooting from the field and rank among the top 10 nationally in field-goal percentage defense at 36.8 percent.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Yellow Jackets have shot 50 percent or better from the field in four of their past five games.

2. Louisville’s last three victories have all come on the road by a combined total of 14 points.

3. The Cardinals have won the past eight meetings in the series, including all six since Louisville joined the ACC.

PREDICTION: Louisville 76, Georgia Tech 62