Cavs face stiff road challenge against defensive-minded Cardinals
At first glance, the headline makes little sense. #11 Virginia is ranked higher than #16 Louisville. Upset?
Yeah, it would be an upset.
The Cavs (16-4, 5-3 ACC) have one ACC road win this season, and you may have heard about it, how … remarkable it was.
Nice way to put it, eh, remarkable, that 72-71 win at Wake Forest on Tuesday? A banked three at the buzzer, capping a 9-1 run in the final 14 seconds, 14 points in the final 54 seconds and the rest.
Louisville (17-3, 6-1 ACC) is 13-0 at home this season, with only one of those wins (over Wake on Jan. 3) in the single digits.
The game Saturday is the start of a nice two-games-in-three-days stretch that includes another home game Monday night against #1 North Carolina.
Funny to think, UVA might be a trap game here.
Inside Louisville
- The Cards are built on defense this year, holding opponents to .905 points per possession, sixth-best in the nation, according to KenPom.com. Opponents score 60.0 points per game, best in the ACC, shooting 36.9 percent from the field (best in the ACC) and 30.5 percent from three-point range (second-best in the ACC).
- Veteran leadership: 6’6” senior Damion Lee and 6’2” senior Trey Lewis are the sparkplugs. Lee averages a team-best 17.7 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting from the field and 37.7 percent shooting from three. Lee also shoots 87.0 percent from the free-throw line and averages five free-throw attempts a game. Lewis scores 12.7 a game, shoots 43.7 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three. Both are also jackers from deep: Lee puts up 5.7 threes a game, and Lewis 4.7.
- Chinanu Onuaku is the beast in the post, averaging 10.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, shooting 62.0 percent from the field.
- As a team, Louisville shoots 49.1 percent from the field, third in the ACC, 36.8 percent from three, sixth in the ACC, and scores 1.154 points per possession, fifth in the ACC.
- Tempo: 68.0 possessions per game, eighth in the ACC.
Inside Virginia
- Virginia allows 61.9 points per game, second in the ACC, but the number is deceptively good. The Cavs were #1 nationally in points per possession last season, but are 46th nationally (sixth in the ACC) this season, allowing .964 points per possession. Opponents are shooting 43.1 percent from the field, 10th in the ACC, and 35.6 percent from three, also 10th in the conference.
- Built on offense? The Cavs score 1.182 points per possession, fourth in the ACC, ninth in the nation, and lead the ACC in field-goal percentage (49.6 percent) and three-point shooting (39.9 percent).
- Malcolm Brogdon is third in the ACC in scoring at 17.6 points per game, shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three. Brogdon is currently eighth in the KenPom.com Player of the Year rankings and is one of four ACC players in the field (Brice Johnson, UNC, is third, with Louisville’s Lee ninth and Duke’s Grayson Allen 10th).
- Anthony Gill is shooting 60.1 percent from the field, second in the ACC, and is scoring 15.0 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game.
- London Perrantes leads the ACC in three-point shooting at 52.7 percent. Perrantes averages 11.7 points and 4.4 assists per game.
- Tempo: 62.5 possessions per game (last in the ACC, 349th of 351 teams in D1).
– Preview by Chris Graham
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