Virginia will face newly inspired Louisville team in tonight’s ACC Tournament

By Jerry Ratcliffe

When Virginia last faced Louisville five days ago, the Cardinals were a team that had lost its spirit according to interim head coach Mike Pegues. The No. 6 seed Cavaliers may face a reinspired Louisville team in tonight’s second round of the ACC Tournament.

The No. 11 seed Cardinals, who had lost 13 of their last 15 games coming into Brooklyn, built a 27-point lead over No. 14 seed Georgia Tech in Tuesday’s opening round, then held off a furious Yellow Jackets rally to survive and advance by an 84-74 score (see complete updated results and schedule below). That thrusted Louisville into tonight’s game against UVA (9:30 p.m., ESPN2).

Virginia has dominated the Cardinals ever since Louisville joined the ACC. The Cavaliers have won the last four games against the league’s newest member and 13 of the past 14, including a two-game sweep this season.

UVA coach Tony Bennett has to be wondering what kind of opponent he will be facing this time after Louisville’s inspiring first-round win. The Cardinals’ Pegues hinted after Tuesday’s win that his team realizes it has to be tougher when they face the Cavaliers.

“UVA is a tough team,” Pegues said. “They have a national pedigree. Obviously, a national championship coach, a national championship point guard. They expect to win. They prepare to win. They make things really tough for you on the offensive end because of the way they guard and crowd the lane and keep the ball out of the paint.

“Offensively, [Virginia’s] continuity is tough to guard. They keep you moving, keep you fighting through screens. But we know them well. We’ve lost to them twice in what I would say were relatively close games. We were in the game. It’s not like we get blown out. At times through the game, we just have some lulls at the end that affect us on the defensive end. We can’t have those moments if we expect to win.”

Virginia had a first-round bye and should be well rested. The Cavaliers have played only one game in 10 days, that being the win at Louisville. UVA (18-12) has won six of its last nine games, so it’s playing its best basketball.

Bennett knows that if the Cavaliers are to make their eighth-straight NCAA appearance, his team must win tonight, then hope for the best for the remainder of the week.

Bracketologists have UVA as the “next four out.” Some believe the Cavaliers need to reach Saturday’s finals, others believe if they can make it to the semifinals, it might be enough. Otherwise, the team will be NIT-bound.
“I don’t think there’s a magic formula,” Bennett said. “It’s understanding who you are and what’s important to your team. You hear that saying sometimes that more teams beat themselves down the stretch. It comes down to how tough are you defensively? Can you take care of the ball, get quality shots, and yes, plays have to be made. It’s staying as true as you can to yourself.”

UVA’s players know exactly what’s on the line.

“Certainly we talk about it … everybody knows,” Bennett said. “We definitely talked about that even before [last Saturday’s] Louisville game, and after the Florida State game. 

“I don’t think you over-do things and I don’t think you under-do things. You say, ‘This is where it’s at. All right, let’s address it. Now, let’s be about the moment and go after it.’”

For UVA’s Jayden Gardner, it will be his first ACC Tournament after having transferred from East Carolina. While growing up as a kid in the state of North Carolina, Gardner attended some ACC Tournament games and dreamed of playing in the event, but doesn’t feel like the Cavaliers are putting pressure on themselves going into tonight’s game.

“No, we don’t feel pressure,” Gardner said. “We’re just going out and playing basketball. We just focus on the next opponent.”

He will have his own cheering section in tonight’s game. His mother is from nearby Queens, and so he has spent a lot of time in Brooklyn while growing up, but hasn’t been there since his early high school years. He has a lot of family coming to the game.

ACC Tournament

Barclays Center
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tuesday
Opening Round
Game 1 — No. 13 Boston College 66, No. 12 Pittsburgh 46
Game 2 — No. 10 Clemson 70, No. 15 NC State 64
Game 3 — No. 11 Louisville 84, No. 14 Georgia Tech 74

Wednesday
Second Round
Game 4 — No. 9 Syracuse 96, No. 8 Florida State 57
Game 5 — No. 13 Boston College 82, No. 5 Wake Forest 77 (OT)
Game 6 — No. 10 Clemson vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 7 — No. 11 Louisville vs. No. 6 Virginia, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Thursday
Quarterfinals
Game 8 — Game 4 winner vs. No. 1 Duke, Noon (ESPN)
Game 9 — Game 5 winner vs. No. 4 Miami, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 10 — Game 6 winner vs. No. 2 Notre Dame, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 11 — Game 7 winner vs. No. 3 North Carolina, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Friday
Semifinals
Game 12 — Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
Game 13 — Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)

Saturday
Championship
Game 14 — Semifinal winners, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)