Louisville Outlasts Georgia Tech in ACC Tournament Opener

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Taking on Georgia Tech to kick off their ACC Tournament run, the Louisville men's basketball program held off a furious rally just long enough, coming out on top with an 84-74 first round victory Tuesday night at the Barclays Center.

The 11th-seeded Cardinals (13-18, 6-14 ACC) were trending towards a blowout over the 14th-seeded Yellow Jackets (12-20, 5-15 ACC), leading by 27 with 12:07 to go in the second half. Georgia Tech then fired off a 19-0 run to cut the lead down to single digits, then got within five points inside three minutes to go.

Jarrod West, who finished with a game-high 20 points, then sunk back-to-back three-pointers and a pair of free throws to help Louisville get their lead back out to double digits in the final minute.

The Cardinals got five double-digit performances on the night, as interim head coach Mike Pegues shorted up the rotation to just seven players. Noah Locke had 16 points, Malik Williams had 14 and 10 rebounds, Sydney Curry had 12 and Samuel Williamson had 10.

The Yellow Jackets' dynamic duo of Michael Devoe and Jordan Usher combined for 34 points, and also got 19 points from Miles Kelly.

Shooting splits were relatively even for the game. Louisville shot 48.4 percent from the field and 39.3 percent on three-point attempts, with Georgia Tech shooting 47.4 and 44.4 percent, respectively. The biggest discrepancy on the stat sheet came with rebounding, as the Cardinals won that battle 38-28.

Georgia Tech took an early 9-3 lead in the first four minutes of the game, but the first half belonged to Louisville. The Cardinals responded with a 19-4 run to take command of the game, and outscored the Yellow Jackets 42-19 in the final 16 minutes of the half.

Without question, it was Louisville's best offensive half of basketball played all season. They shot 16-30 from the field and 6-12 on threes, while also dishing out nine assists and committing only one turnover. They went into the locker room with a 45-28 lead - their fifth-largest at halftime of a conference tournament.

Once Louisville extended their lead out to 27 in the second half, their overall discipline and focus went by the wayside. They not only missed seven straight shots, but committed five turnovers in a three minute span, allowing the Jackets also sank six straight basket on their end.

In the final three minutes, Louisville shot 3-4 while Georgia Tech was just 1-5 - with their lone make coming with only three seconds left and the game well decided.

Next up, Louisville will face sixth-seeded Virginia in the second round of the ACC Tournament. Tip-off against the Cavaliers is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 9 at 9:30 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Sydney Curry: Brad Penner - USA TODAY Sports)