CARDINALS

Cards leap to early lead, roll over Hokies

Jeff Greer

@jeffgreer_cj

Tuesday's thumping of Virginia Tech came as little consolation for sixth-ranked Louisville after its disappointing loss at North Carolina over the weekend, but the rout still helped a lot.

The 78-63 win didn't just allow Louisville's four core players Montrezl Harrell, Chris Jones, Wayne Blackshear and Terry Rozier to get some much-needed rest ahead of Saturday's tilt against Duke.

Perhaps more important: The victory got redshirt sophomore center Mangok Mathiang some much-needed confidence.

Mathiang, Louisville's unexpected starting center on Tuesday, came out blazing, scoring four quick points. On the first play of the game, he caught a pass at the elbow, turned to the basket, noticed an empty lane and thundered in a one-handed dunk.

The 6-foot-10 Mathiang finished with a career-high 11 points. He also had eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 23 minutes.

"I wouldn't get too carried away," U of L coach Rick Pitino said, "(but) he made very smart decisions."

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Beyond that, several other bench players got some confidence boosts early in the game.

Shaqquan Aaron hit a pair of 3-pointers after seeing limited action the past two games. Anton Gill, who didn't play at all at UNC, hit two jumpers. Freshman big man Jaylen Johnson had six points and four rebounds, and fellow freshman Matz Stockman appeared in his first game since Dec. 5.

"It was good to see all my teammates get in and be productive today," said Rozier, who scored a team-high 16 points.

That's the significance of games like Tuesday's, which pit an undermanned, rebuilding Virginia Tech (8-8, 0-3 in the ACC) against a Louisville team that many consider a Final Four contender.

At no point on Tuesday did Virginia Tech threaten Louisville. The Cards began the game on a 17-2 run and never let the Hokies get any closer than nine points.

"I thought they were really good," Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams said. "They're one of the best teams in the country … In all the ways they're good, those are all the ways that we need to improve."

The Cards (15-2, 3-1 in the ACC) shot 47.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.

Point guard Chris Jones notched a career-high 11 assists. Montrezl Harrell scored 11 points and Wayne Blackshear added 15. Terry Rozier scored a team-high 16 points despite losing some minutes because of first-half foul trouble.

Only Jones played 30 minutes. The rest played 26 of fewer.

There was, however, an uncomfortable moment toward the end of the game, when Harrell landed awkwardly during a rebounding tussle.

The 6-foot-8 All-American left the game after the next possession, favoring his left leg. He said after the game that he twisted and sprained his right ankle.

"We got X-rays – it's nothing serious," said Harrell, who entered the locker room with a large ice pack on his ankle.

"Basketball's a physical game. You can't go out there on the floor and expect not to be touched."

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).