UVA Falls to Louisville in a 20-Point Loss at Home (1-4-25)
By: Xavier Jones
Headline Photo Credit: Arturo Jones-LMS Network
On Saturday, January 4th, the Virginia Cavaliers welcome the Louisville Cardinals to the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA. The Cavs are coming off back-to-back wins over American and NC State, and the Cardinals are riding the wave of a three-game win streak with wins over Florida State, East Kentucky, and North Carolina. Both teams are looking to continue their winning ways early on in the new year.
In the first half of this game, there was some early back-and-forth action taking place. The Cavaliers and Cardinals would exchange the lead on a couple of occasions in the early portion of the first half. However, as fast as UVA held the lead it was either tied or taken from them even faster by Louisville. Once Louisville regained the lead that final time, they never looked back for the rest of the half. The Cardinals went into halftime with a 32-27 lead over the Cavs. Both teams’ field goal percentages were pretty close, but UVA struggled with the 3 balls only shooting 17 percent. Some other key stats that stuck in the first half were that UVA had zero bench points in comparison to Louisville who managed 17 bench points.
Coming out in the second half, Virginia looked to make a statement and put their imprint on the game. It seemed like once UVA saw an inkling of momentum, Louisville was able to counter and knock down timely baskets to stop any of the momentum. The defense of the Cavs was a non-factor and it was evident by them giving up 70 points for the second time in 63 games. What was impressive were ATO plays that were executed by the Cardinals. In my opinion, I’m not used to seeing a UVA team struggle defensively. By saying that, I’m not excusing the Cavs’ offense because there were moments in the game where they looked pedestrian in the second half. The two keys that are the receipt for UVA’s success ultimately became their downfall as they shot poorly from the field and struggled on the defensive end. If things don’t turn around for the Cavs, then they will find themselves in a situation where winning their conference tournament is the only way they can secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The final score of this game was 70-50, and the Cardinals outscored UVA 38-23 in the second half alone.
The next game for the Virginia Cavaliers takes place on January 8th on the road against California, and Louisville’s next game is at home on January 7th against Clemson.
