Jordan Nwora, No. 16 Louisville Nab Road Win vs. No. 11 Virginia Tech

No. 16 Louisville added to its impressive resume Monday with a 72-64 win over No. 11 Virginia Tech.

The Hokies cut a 15-point second-half deficit to five in the closing minutes, but clutch shots by Dwayne Sutton and Jordan Nwora helped secure the win for Louisville.

The Cardinals' six-game winning streak was snapped by North Carolina on Saturday, but the team responded two days later behind 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Sutton. Ryan McMahon added 17 points off the bench to help Louisville (17-6) remain in the ACC title hunt with an 8-2 conference record.

Kevin Blackshear led all scorers with 21 points, but couldn't keep Virginia Tech (18-4) from suffering its first loss at Cassell Coliseum this season. 

Jordan Nwora Wins Battle of ACC's Most Improved Players

The ACC is full of elite talent from Duke's Zion Williamson to Virginia's Kyle Guy, but no two players have exceeded expectations this year as much as Jordan Nwora and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Alexander-Walker has nearly doubled his scoring from last year and is one of the most efficient high-usage guards in the country. He entered the day shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from beyond the arc despite getting a lot of attention from defenses.

Meanwhile, Nwora has been even more impressive after more than tripling his scoring average from his freshman season when he scored just 5.7 points per game. He reached double figures Monday for the 21st time in 23 games.

Neither was at their best in this one while struggling with poor shooting and bad mistakes, but each sophomore showed what they are capable of in a hotly contested ACC battle.

Nwora made big shots to help Louisville gain an early lead and scored two of the team's last three field goals. He finished with 15 points, also making big plays on the boards (eight rebounds) to go with his strong interior defense.

Alexander-Walker had to pick up the offensive slack with Justin Robinson out and finished with 17 points and three assists. He struggled with foul trouble and was clearly tired after playing 40 minutes Saturday, but he gutted his way to a strong showing against a tough opponent.

It was Nwora and Louisville that got the last laugh Monday with an important win on the road, but both players showed why they are among the best players in the conference and deserve All-ACC consideration at the end of the year.

Injuries Threatening to Sink Virginia Tech in Loaded ACC

You never want to overreact to just one game in a college basketball season, but Virginia Tech is suddenly extremely thin in its rotation.

Justin Robinson is out with a foot injury and was in a walking boot before the game, per Jeff Greer of the Athletic. P.J. Horne has also been ruled out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury.

Robinson is the bigger injury as the team's offensive catalyst and a key player on both ends of the court. The team remained sloppy without him, finishing with 13 turnovers to go with just 13 assists.

Meanwhile, losing him and Horne creates what is effectively just a seven-man rotation for the Hokies.

This was all that was needed in the win over North Carolina State, although it was still ugly offensively for Virginia Tech. Three different starters were also forced to play all 40 minutes.

Playing on short rest, the Hokies simply didn't have enough left in the tank. 

It won't always be this challenging, but there aren't many days off in the ACC with games against Duke, Virginia and Florida State still on the schedule. Even upcoming games against Clemson and Georgia Tech are far from easy wins.

Although Virginia Tech showed a lot of fight against Louisville, there likely won't be enough offense to compete against the best in the conference until Robinson returns to full strength.

What's Next?

Virginia Tech will try to rest up before a road game against Clemson Saturday. Louisville continues a brutal stretch of four-straight games against ranked opponents with a trip to Florida State.