Community Picks: Georgia Tech 0% vs NC State 0%

By all rights, Georgia Tech should be a powerhouse. Why Georgia Tech isn't more successful is one of college basketball's big mysteries. Coach Brian Gregory, whose job could be on the line without a major turnaround, said it's much tougher to move up in a league that expanded to 15 teams in recent years. Continue to Article

January 26, 2016 5:55:pm EST

Louisville hasn't been overly impressive on the offensive end in conference play, but it's made that passable by experiencing little dropoff defensively between its nonconference results and its ACC opponents. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, has shown an ability to hang with the conference's best on its own court. The 16th-ranked Cardinals head there Wednesday night seeking a fourth straight win, while the Hokies try to avoid their first three-game skid of the season. Continue to Article

January 26, 2016 3:23:pm EST

Winning on the road in the ACC isn't easy and No. 17 Louisville figured to need some help for Chinanu Onuaku against Georgia Tech's depth in the post on Saturday to stay within a game of conference leading North Carolina. Sophomore Anas Mahmoud rose to the occasion for coach Rick Pitino scoring a career-best 15 points in what might have been a break-through performance for the product of Cairo, Egypt. Anas Mahmoud Had A Career Game: 15 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists, And This Huge Block! #L1C4 pic.twitter.com/DclT7uSmbJ — Louisville Fan Base (@UofLFanBASE) January 23, 2016 [ Why Oklahoma should remain No. 1 in spite of Monday's loss ] Anas scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half. He also grabbed four rebounds and provided a key blocked shot in the final minutes that helped the Cardinals keep the lead. Prior to Saturday's outing, Mahmoud never scored more than seven points in a game. He previous best overall performance was just two weeks ago in a loss to Clemson when he scored seven points, grabbed 10 rebounds and fouled out. He didn't commit a foul playing 27 minutes in Saturday's win. The emergence of Mahmoud took the pressure of Onuaku and made the Cardinals an even more difficult matchup for Georgia Tech, which continues to struggle to finish off opponents in close games.Onuaku scored 12 points with 11 rebounds and Damion Lee led Louisville with 17 points. Marcus Georges-Hunt led the Yellow Jackets with 23 points and went 12-for-12 from the free throw line, but he fouled out late in the game trying to block Mahmoud's shot from behind and wasn't available when Georgia Tech needed a big shot. [ Refs miss multiple violations before Ball State buzzer beater ] Pitino said prior to Saturday's game that his team was beginning a stretch of the ACC schedule that he expected to be a rolllercoaster ride. The Cardinals play North Carolina, Virginia, Notre Dame and Duke twice over the next month. It's a stretch that could go along way toward deciding where the Cardinals finish in the standings in the regular season, where they're seeded in the conference tournament and ultimately where they end up beyond that. Mahmoud ability to sustain this level of play and even build on it will certainly help because it transforms Louisville from a team with one consitent scoring option in the post to a team with multiple options. Now we'll have to wait and see if Mahmoud follows through or if this performance was an - - - - - - - [ Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo Continue to Article

January 23, 2016 6:58:pm EST

After taking care of business on its own floor following a surprise loss at Clemson two weeks ago, Louisville needs to carry that strong play out on the road. The No. 17 Cardinals haven't played as well away from home as they need to and will look to start reversing that trend Saturday at Georgia Tech. Louisville (15-3, 4-1 ACC) faces a challenging back-to-back at home against No. 13 Virginia on Jan. 30 and second-ranked North Carolina two days later, making these next two road games against the Yellow Jackets (11-7, 1-4) and Virginia Tech on Wednesday essential to maintaining some momentum. Continue to Article

January 22, 2016 4:35:pm EST