No. 23 Virginia begins challenging stretch at No. 20 Louisville
No. 23 Virginia enters a challenging stretch with three straight games against ranked opponents and four of its next five contests on the road.
The Atlantic Coast Conference gauntlet begins on Tuesday night for the Cavaliers (14-2, 3-1) at No. 20 Louisville. The Cardinals (12-4, 2-2) swept both meetings last season by a combined 34 points.
Louisville is the first Top 25 opponent for Virginia under first-year coach Ryan Odom. The Cavaliers have a three-game winning streak and are 2-1 on the road this season. The Cardinals are 9-1 at home and 2-3 against ranked foes.
Both teams are coming off double-digit wins on Saturday.
Virginia led Stanford by as many as 23 in a 70-55 win in Charlottesville, Va., just the third time the Cavaliers (85.1 points per game) have been held under 80 points. Leading scorer Thijs De Ridder (16.4 ppg) had a game-high 22 points for his eighth 20-point game of the season.
Fueled by five blocked shots from Ugonna Onyenso, the Virginia defense limited Stanford to 32.1% shooting. The Cardinal missed 16 of their first 17 shots from the floor in the second half.
"Out of halftime our guys did a nice job defensively on a night where our offense wasn't great down the stretch," Odom said. "We had one little spurt there that helped us separate, but for the most part, our guys did a really nice job on the defensive end. So, proud of that and seeing some improvements there."
Freshman Chance Mallory added 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals off the Virginia bench.
"We put that pressure on them in the first half, and then as soon as the second half goes, they just keep facing our press and our ball pressure, and us keeping our chest in front," Mallory said. "I feel like that wears a team down."
A familiar face awaits Virginia fans in Louisville, where Isaac McKneely averages 11.4 points per game. He played for the Cavaliers for three seasons from 2022-25, averaging 11.1 points and shooting 42.2% from 3-point range.
Louisville overcame a 10-point, first-half deficit Saturday to beat visiting Boston College 75-62. It halted a two-game ACC skid for the short-handed Cardinals, who played without their top two scorers -- Ryan Conwell (19.9 ppg) and Mikel Brown Jr. (16.6). Conwell was scratched before tipoff and Brown missed his sixth straight game.
Sananda Fru stepped up with 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds against the Eagles.
"Gritty, I think is the best word I can describe as to how our guys played," Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey said. "Gritty, it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world. Obviously with injuries and people out and things like that, guys have to step up, play in different roles than they're normally playing."
The Cardinals could have a new addition Tuesday night with point guard London Johnson, who was recently declared eligible after playing three seasons in the NBA G League.
Virginia is awaiting the return of Jacari White, who is day-to-day and has been out since Dec. 20 with a broken wrist. He averages 10.9 points and is shooting 50% (30 of 60) from 3-point distance.