Wahoo Preview: No. 7 Virginia at Louisville

By Scott Ratcliffe

In the first of two meetings — in a matter of just 17 days — between two schools on opposite ends of the ACC standings, No. 7 Virginia travels to face last-place Louisville Wednesday night (7 p.m., ESPNU), looking to keep pace with Pitt at the top of the heap.

The Cavaliers (19-4, 11-3 ACC) took care of NC State at home last Tuesday before knocking off Duke in overtime Saturday, adding a pair of quality wins to their postseason resume. UVA has won nine of its last 10 games, and is getting hot at the right time.

The Cardinals (3-22, 1-13), meanwhile, have dropped nine of their last 10, as they try to fight their way out of the ACC cellar. It has been a rather disastrous first season for UL alum Kenny Payne, whose team has shown signs of improvement but has struggled mightily in 2022-23.

Louisville dropped its first nine games of the season, which began with home losses to Bellarmine, Wright State and Appalachian State. The Cardinals finally got in the win column with back-to-back victories over Western Kentucky and Florida A&M in mid-December before losing 10 in a row. The lone conference win snapped that skid, as UL beat Georgia Tech by 10 on Feb. 1.

The Cardinals were competitive against Florida State three days later, using a late 17-2 spurt to give themselves a chance before ultimately falling, 81-78. After getting blown out in Pittsburgh, 91-57, the Cards gave Miami a bit of a scare on Saturday, but the Hurricanes pulled away for a 93-85 win.

Senior point guard El Ellis has been one of the few bright spots for Louisville, as he’s averaging 17.4 points per game, good for third in the conference behind Wake Forest’s Tyree Appleby (18.6 ppg) and NC State’s Terquavion Smith (18.3 ppg). He also ranks fourth in the ACC in the assist category with 4.8 per contest.

Ellis has carried the Cardinals on his shoulders throughout the season — if you look through the conference’s individual statistical leaders, Ellis is the only Louisville name you will find. He hardly ever leaves the floor as a result, averaging 35.6 minutes per game (sixth in the ACC), but recently, Ellis has gotten a little more help from his teammates.

Junior forward Jae’Lyn Withers (9.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg) has stepped his game up as of late, scoring in double figures in eight of his last 11 outings. He’s the team’s top 3-point shooter, percentage-wise, at 46 percent on the season (38 for 82).

Freshman guard Mike James (9.3 ppg) has shown flashes throughout the campaign, picking up ACC Rookie of the Week honors on Jan. 9.

Sophomore forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (7.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) hasn’t played since Jan. 11, missing the Cards’ last eight games with a foot injury, but has been practicing with the team and was a game-time decision in the loss at Miami over the weekend. The 6-foot-10 Tennessee transfer could provide a lift in the interior if he’s able to suit up.

After defeating Louisville three times last season, Virginia comes into tonight’s game having won five in a row against the Cardinals, and 14 of the last 15 meetings in the all-time series (UVA leads, 20-5). Tony Bennett’s teams have taken six of the eight meetings against UL at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Cavaliers have won 15 of the 17 matchups against the Cardinals since they joined the ACC in 2014, and will be a heavy 17-point favorite to add to that tally this evening.

Virginia is 7-3 away from home this season (5-3 in true road games), while Louisville is 3-11 on its home floor.

Fifth-year guard Kihei Clark, who already owns UVA school records in overall wins (116), ACC wins (69), games played (151) and minutes played (5,012), is on the verge of adding two more. With a start against Louisville, Clark will tie London Perrantes for first on the school’s all-time list with 132. Clark is also now just 9 assists shy of passing John Crotty’s Cavalier-record 683, which has stood since 1991.

With 9 more points, Clark (1,348 career points) would leapfrog Elton Brown (2002-05) into 25th place on UVA’s all-time scoring list. He’s also 52 points away from becoming just the 25th player in Virginia history to score 1,400 points or more.