No. 16 Virginia Passes Key Road Test In 79-70 Win Against No. 20 Louisville
It was a defensive battle in Louisville on Tuesday night, as the 16th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers were able to pull away from the 20th-ranked Louisville Cardinals to improve to 4-1 in ACC play this season.
Malik Thomas Stars In the Second Half to Push Virginia Over the Finish Line
With both teams’ defenses operating at a high level in this game, it took some key scoring performances for the Cavaliers to pull out the win. That assistance came in the form of senior Guard Malik Thomas, who scored 16 of his 19 points to give Virginia enough of a boost on offense to take home their fourth straight victory.
It was also a three-point barrage on offense for the Cavaliers tonight, as the team primarily focused on using its hot outside shooting of late to nab the win. Virginia shot 41% from deep while raining in 14 threes for the game. The Cavaliers only finished with a grand total of 12 points in the paint tonight.
Another area the Cavaliers excelled in versus Louisville was at the charity stripe, as they shot 79% from the line on 23 made free throws. The biggest surprise from the line came from the freshman Center Johann Grunloh. The German recruit came into the game shooting just 45% from the stripe, and shot 5-of-6 from the line, which included two free throws with a minute left in the game to keep the Cavaliers’ lead safe.
Louisville Loses Yet Again In Mikel Brown Jr’s Absence
It’s been a bad month for the Cardinals since star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. went down with a back injury in their game against Memphis on December 13. The Cardinals have now lost 3 of their last 6 games and now sit at just 10th place in the ACC with a subpar 2-3 record.
To add even more insult to injury for the struggling Cardinals, Head Coach Pat Kelsey said that Brown Jr. has run into a bit of a setback during a press conference last week. “We haven’t been able to get the discomfort and the spasms and things like that to settle down,” said Kelsey. “We’re looking forward to getting him back. Hopefully it’s in the next game, or if not, then the game after that one.”
It was the same old story in Brown Jr’s absence, as players like Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely both showed out in the loss for Louisville. The Virginia transfer in McKneely finished with a game-high 23 points against his former team, while Conwell added 14 points in a valiant effort by both players.
What’s Next For Both Teams
It’ll be a bit of a break for both teams following this game, as Virginia and Louisville won’t have to play until Saturday. For the Cavaliers, that Saturday game will be another road one as they face off against SMU, as they look to keep their win streak alive.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals will look to start getting back in the win column and start a win streak of their own, as they’ll go on the road to face Pittsburgh. The Cardinals will also be hopeful that their star freshman will finally be ready to return by the time Saturday rolls around.
