Louisville vs Virginia Tech: How to watch, listen, stream ACC women's basketball game
For as many quality opponents as Louisville has had during this women’s basketball season, very few have had a true post player. As a result, the Cardinals would often opt for a four-guard lineup at times and even started four guards against No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 30.
That won’t be the case with No. 13 Virginia Tech (13-3, 3-3 ACC), however. Louisville (13-5, 4-1) will have to find a way to limit 2021-22 ACC Player of the Year and 2022-23 ACC Preseason Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley when U of L travels to Virginia Tech for a 7 p.m. tip-off Thursday. It’ll require a full effort from Olivia Cochran, who defended Kitley to start during last year’s meeting, Liz Dixon and Josie Williams. Dixon and Williams — both 6-foot-5 — have the height to match up better with the 6-6 Kitley.
“Josie and Liz, this is going to be a great opportunity for them because we're playing a team that's got a true post player,” Louisville coach Jeff Walz said, “where against Pitt, it's 6-1 and, all of a sudden, 6-1 that likes to drive and pull them out. Now, that makes it a little more difficult to defend them. Now we've got a true post and I'm excited for both of them.”
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Kitley is averaging a double-double of 18.4 points and 10.7 rebounds to go along with 32 blocks on the year. Where Dixon and Cochran know what to expect from the Hokies’ center, this will be a new experience for Williams, who transferred in from Utah Valley State this year. Walz has been pleased with the new Cardinal's progress, her shooting and the way she’s taken care of the ball so far this season. Williams is averaging 3.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game with 11 assists to six turnovers.
“Really want her to just have more confidence in herself,” Walz said. “When she's out there, she's got an open shot to take it, because she is a player that really understands the game and communicates extremely well with her teammates while she's out there, which helps others perform better.”
Dixon started the first four games with Cochran before Williams got the starting nod over a three-game stretch. Following Louisville’s 67-49 loss at Middle Tennessee on Dec. 4, though, Dixon re-entered the starting lineup. Her best game of the season was a 16-point performance in an 86-72 win over Kentucky on Dec. 11 where the Tennessee native shot 5 for 6 from the field, 6 for 7 from the free-throw line and added three rebounds, two assists and a block. She also has a second-best 14 blocks on the year.
Of the three, Cochran has been the most steady and consistent force this year. Despite being two inches shorter than Williams and Dixon, Cochran leads the team’s rebounding effort with 7.2 a game in addition to averaging 9.3 points and is one of the Cardinals’ more dependable defenders.
“Defensively, I pretty much know what I'm gonna get from O,” Walz said of Cochran. "I've challenged her, I'd love to get a little bit more offense from her. … She's working on an 8-foot reverse pivot free-throw-line jump shot. When she gets it within the offense, she's got to look to score the basketball because she makes that shot. At times, she is undersized in the post, so take advantage of what she's been working on; that's extending her game.”
For as tall of a task as Kitley will be in the post, Walz isn’t taking Virginia Tech’s guard play lightly either, specifically when it comes to Georgia Ammore. The Hokies’ 5-foot-6 point guard is the team’s second-leading scorer behind Kitley with 13.9 points in addition to 5.5 assists, posting the ACC’s third-best assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.2.
“I'm just so impressed with the pace she plays at, how hard she plays,” Walz said. “She gets everybody in the right spot at the right time. She to me is a huge, huge part of that team.”
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Where the Cardinals struggled defensively at times against Pitt, they'll have to step up and be better defenders against the Hokies with hopes of pocketing a top-25 conference victory to start a two-week stretch that includes Florida State, Boston College and No. 11 NC State.
“You've got to be prepared each night and continue to grow,” Walz said. “The thing about it is, you can't let one loss turn into two, turns into three, turns into four because there's stretches in this schedule, right now, you might lose two in a row. You might lose three in a row. North Carolina, who was top 10, lost three in a row and then beat Notre Dame at home. Top to bottom, it's as good of a league as we've had since I've been in the league. There's no question about it.”
Here's how you can watch Thursday's game and get the latest updates:
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What time is the Louisville women's basketball vs Virginia Tech game?
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va.
What TV channel is the Louisville-Virginia Tech women's basketball game on?
The game will not be broadcast on television but shown on ACCNx, which is available online only.
How to stream Louisville women's basketball vs Virginia Tech
Qualified subscribers can stream the game via the ESPN app or online at ESPN.com/watch with Jason Patterson (play-by-play) and Mack McCarthy (analyst) calling the game.
How to listen to Louisville women's basketball vs Virginia Tech
Nick Curran (play-by-play) and Courtnee Walton (analyst) will call the game on the Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9-FM and WGTK 970-AM in Louisville).
Louisville vs Virginia Tech women's basketball series history
Louisville leads the all-time series with Virginia Tech 24-17, which includes a 9-10 record in Blacksburg, and has won the last nine straight games. As conference mates, the Cardinals have never lost to the Hokies, posting an 8-0 record.
The last meeting between the two teams featured a double-double's effort of 19 points and 15 rebounds from Emily Engstler en route to the Cardinals’ 70-56 top-25 victory on Feb. 20, 2022. Hailey Van Lith led the team’s scoring with 20 points.
Louisville vs Virginia Tech women's basketball score, updates, highlights
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville vs Virginia Tech women's basketball: Watch, score, updates
