The Louisville Men’s Basketball team started its busy week off on positive note with a convincing 74-58 win over Georgia Tech at home on Monday afternoon. The Cards improved to 11-4 and 6-3 in the ACC. Georgia Tech fell to 8-6 and 4-4.
Samuell Williamson led Louisville with 20 points and 18 rebounds, his career high in both categories. David Johnson added 24 points and 10 rebounds of his own. Carlik Jones had 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists for the Cards. Louisville shot 38.9 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three.
For Georgia Tech, Moses Wright led the way with 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 blocks. Michael Devoe added 17 points and 9 rebounds. The Yellow Jackets shot 32.4 percent from the field.
Louisville trailed 14-7 early in the first half before a David Johnson run gave them the lead with just over 10 minutes left on the clock. Johnson scored 14 of the Cards’ first 18 points. Louisville took a 33-27 lead into halftime. Out of the beak, it was all Louisville. The Cards started the second half on a 10-2 run and led by double digits for the final 17:26 of the game.
This was a much needed bounce back win for Louisville. Georgia Tech has beaten plenty of good teams this season and gave the Cards plenty of trouble in both of their matchups last year. The offense struggled early on and it looked as if we would be in store for another stinker on that end. Louisville still struggled a bit offensively, particularly inside, but the team as a whole looked much more active on that end.
The performance from Samuell Williamson is going to be the major takeaway and rightfully so. Louisville has been in desperate need of a third option on offense. This is just one game, but Williamson looked as engaged and assertive as we have ever seen him offensively, not to mention his effort on the glass. Williamson was a guy who was expected to make a leap headed into this year. It has just not happened so far, but on Monday he looked like the McDonald’s All-American who was getting NBA Draft buzz entering the season. It will take more than just one game, but time will tell if he has turned a corner.
This was a convincing performance from a Louisville team that has simply not looked good for a couple weeks now. There are still plenty of areas that can be improved, but the Cards showed up on a Monday afternoon and took care of business against a team that is very much in the NCAA Tournament conversation. Considering the strength of schedule moving forward, this was an important victory for Louisville. Now, the Cards will head on the road to play two more ACC games before week’s end.
Up Next:
Louisville is back in action on Wednesday night against Syracuse at 7:00 p.m. on ACC Network
