The Good, Bad And Ugly Of Virginia Basketball's Close Win Over Louisville

Now that nan Virginia Cavaliers person secured yet different triumph this season, this clip complete Louisville by a people of 79-70, UVA is now moving 15-2 wide and stands astatine 4-1 successful convention play. Their winning streak extended to 4 games, contempt projections showing nan Cardinals coming retired connected top. With nan tight triumph nether their belt, let's return a look astatine really nan Cavaliers' crippled unfolded.

The Good

Defeating nan Cardinals this week marked nan first clip since 2023 that Virginia has clinched a triumph complete a classed opponent. Not to mention, this was nan first clip this play that nan Cavaliers moreover faced a classed force — genuinely a singular measurement to declare a win. Although UVA didn't triumph by a comfortable margin, they were capable to enactment up passim nan game. During caput coach Ryan Odom's postgame property conference, he made it a constituent to item his players' occurrence connected nan court, stating:

"This was a bully hoops crippled for Virginia. No doubt. Louisville is excellent. Coach Kelsey does an awesome job. They person really bully players. They activity good together. They put truthful overmuch unit connected you successful transition. We were wholly worried about, you know, getting our defense group and getting backmost against them. They're relentless connected nan glass. They're relentless successful their three-point shooting. I thought for nan astir part, our guys, you know, did a really bully occupation passim nan night..."

The Bad

Throughout nan Cavaliers' 2025-26 campaign, freshman guardant Thijs De Ridder has mostly been headlining pinch a notable number of points. However, he took nan backseat past night, erstwhile compared to his accustomed violative performance.

For reference, during nan Virginia-Stanford matchup connected Jan. 10, De Ridder posted 22 points. However, past night, he only recorded nine, shooting 30.0% from nan floor. Although he wasn't arsenic productive pinch scoring, he did lend 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block.

The Ugly

Considering nan down-to-the-wire decorativeness past night, it's clear that nan Cavaliers struggled to propulsion up and support a important lead. However, if there's thing bully to travel from this situation, it's that UVA proved itself erstwhile again to beryllium a beardown competitor correct up until nan end. The Cavaliers person been making a shape retired of second-half surges, and that inclination continues. As defender Dallin Hall stated, per Jeff White of Virginia Sports:

“It conscionable showed that we were location to play and propulsion nan first punch, and it was difficult to claw retired of for them, I think, and that's what they were trying to do nan full game. Ultimately, we knew they were a really bully team, well-coached, and they were going to propulsion a punch back. So we conscionable had to enactment coming and upwind nan storm, which we did.”

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