LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With a winter storm expected to hit Louisville and the surrounding region Saturday afternoon, the University of Louisville moved its tipoff time for Saturday's home game against Virginia Tech.
The game will tip off at 2:15 p.m., instead of the originally scheduled 3:45 p.m. It will still be carried by the CW Network on WBKI locally.
In a news conference Thursday morning, Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said he's hoping Louisville fans can show up for the Cards game against the Hokies (15-5, 4-3 ACC), who have won three of their past four and whose three ACC losses are by a total of eight points.
"Our mentality is the game's going on, as long as Virginia Tech can get here and we can turn the lights on," Kelsey said, before the time-change announcement was made Thursday afternoon. "So if you have to shovel the driveway, blow snow off, go turn the car on for an hour before, get that thing nice and warm again. Borrow your neighbor's four-wheel drive, but get your butt down to the Yum! Center. Because this is going to be a big-time ACC contest and we could sure use that Yum! roar in a huge home court environment."
Louisville (13-5, 3-3), ranked No. 23 nationally, could also use the return of freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who has missed the past eight games with back issues. That may have gotten a bit closer this week with Brown's return to practice on Monday and Tuesday, but Kelsey still wasn't ready on Thursday to say he'd be back for the game.
"He seems to be doing well," Kelsey said. "We've worked him into practice those first two days. Obviously, we were off yesterday, and he's ramping up. We'll just continue to see how things go."
Brown hasn't played since Dec. 13, when Louisville upset Memphis on the road. In the eight games he's missed, the Cardinals are 4-4. While Louisville has shown flashes of offensive cohesion in his absence — including a 100-59 rout of Pittsburgh last week — the return of its starting point guard would be a significant boost as the schedule ramps up.
Saturday's game against Virginia Tech will come after a week off and will be just its second game in a 10-day span, a much-needed pause for a team that's been managing several injuries.
Kelsey said the team used the early part of the week for hard, preseason-style practices focused on fundamentals, with players given Wednesday off for rest and academics. Full opponent prep begins Thursday and Friday.
"Just working on our core system on both ends," Kelsey said. "Everybody has things they need to clean up. I thought we had two great days of practice and came out of them healthy."
Sophomore wing Khani Rooths, who has missed the last two games with illness, returned to the basketball facility this week but hasn't been cleared to play.
"He needs to eat a hamburger or two," Kelsey joked. "Eli [Foy] is working with him right now. He hasn't been cleared for basketball activity, but it's great to see that big old smile and that energy he brings to the room."
Forward Kasean Pryor remains limited as he works back from offseason ACL surgery. He missed the team's first two ACC games in California and hasn't not logged double-digit minutes in any of the four games since returning.
"His role is tough right now," Kelsey said. "But he's been a pro and a leader with the way he's handled it. I'm really proud of him."
The past four games have also seen the emergence of veteran big man Aly Khalifa as a three-point threat. He has made 11 of 18 from beyond the arc in that stretch.
"He's on a little bit of a heater right now," Kelsey said. "But he's been a good shooter his whole career. He's just playing with real confidence, and it shows."
In Virginia Tech, Kelsey sees a significant challenge.
"I see I see an NCAA tournament team," he said. "They are playing very, very well. I mean, it's well chronicled just the gut-wrenching couple of losses that they've had. Freak things, half court shots, stuff like that. But they are a very connected team. They are very well coached. They have weapons. They're dangerous at a bunch of different positions. And Coach (Mike)Young, I've known him for a long, long time. He's as respected as any tactician and coach as there is in the country. So they're obviously very, very well-schooled."
Louisville (13-5, 3-3) will have a quick turnaround after Saturday's game. The Cards are scheduled to travel to No. 5 Duke on Monday.
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