Live Blog: #12 UVA opens ACC schedule at #12 Louisville

AFP editor Chris Graham leads our live blog as #12 UVA (10-1) opens ACC play at Louisville (11-1) Wednesday night.

 

Broadcast Information

• The Virginia-Louisville game will be televised on ESPN2, streamed online on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Athletics mobile app on iTunes or Android.
• Live statistics will be located on VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports app.

 

Game Notes: UVA

• Virginia is led by senior point guard London Perrantes, who is a Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year candidate.
• Perrantes is averaging team highs in points (10 ppg) and assists (4.4 apg).
• Isaiah Wilkins (6.2 ppg & 5.0 rpg) leads the team in rebounds (55) and steals (17) and is second in blocked shots (14).
• Newcomer Kyle Guy is averaging 9.4 points on 60 percent 3-point shooting and Marial Shayok is averaging 8.3 points.
• Darius Thompson has added 7.8 points in 11 starts, while Jarred Reuter leads the team in field goal percentage (65.9%) and is second in rebounding at 4.1 per game.
• Jack Salt, who is UVA’s most improved player, is averaging 5.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game. Salt averaged 1.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.6 minutes per game last season.
• Mamadi Diakite is averaging 6.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots in 15.1 minutes per game off the bench.

 

Game Notes: Louisville

• Louisville has a 31-4 record during the month of December over the last five years, winning 19 of its last 22 in that month.
• Louisville has a 10-2 record in games following at least a seven day break over the last five years (since 2012-13). The Cardinals beat Eastern Ky. earlier this season after a week off.
• UofL Coach Rick Pitino, who has a 402-135 record in his 16th season at Louisville, won his 400th victory with the Cardinals on Dec. 10. He won his 750th career collegiate victory when the Cards beat Wichita State on Nov. 24. He is one of five active coaches with at least 750 victories.
• Donovan Mitchell leads the ACC and is 19^th in the nation in steals (2.3 per game). His seven steals against Old Dominion matched the fourth most ever at UofL. His 27 steals in 12 games is two more than he had his entire freshman year.
• Louisville’s 157 victories over the last six years are the fifth-most wins in the nation in that stretch. The Cards are one of just three teams to win at least 30 games in three of the last five seasons (30-10 in 2011-12, 35-5 in ’12-13, 31-6 in ’13-14).
• Louisville has opened with at least an 11-1 record through 12 games for the seventh straight season. The Cardinals’ best start in that stretch was 16-1 during UofL’s 2012-13 NCAA Championship season.
• Louisville is one of just four schools which have won 20 or more games in each of the last 14 seasons (also Kansas, Duke and Gonzaga).