Five Takeaways From Virginia Basketball’s 81-67 Loss to Louisville

Virginia (8-10, 1-6 ACC) suffered a 81-67 loss to Louisville (13-5, 6-1 ACC) at the KFC YUM! Center on Saturday afternoon. Here are our five takeaways from UVA’s fifth-consecutive loss with Virginia losing four of those games by double digits.

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The Cardinals ignited an 11-2 run midway through the first half to build up a lead they never looked back from as the Cavaliers stood no chance, similar to the first matchup this season. With a win on Saturday for the Cardinals, this is the second time Louisville has swept the season series against Virginia, with the first being during the 1989/90 season. The strong start for the Cardinals was powered by their powerful three-point shooter Reyne Smith, who started ¾ from beyond the arc, and Terrence Edwards Jr., who scored 12 points in the first half. In the second half, the Cavaliers never got the lead below 11 as the Cardinals extended their lead to as much as 21, which could have been significantly higher if the starters had remained in the game. 

Trying to find positives in a blowout contest is extremely difficult, but Elijah Saunders’ performance is certainly worth noting. The transfer from San Diego State was the only Virginia player to show up in the first half, scoring 11 points before finishing with 19 on the day. Saunders also buried three of his six attempts from three-point land, showcasing a range of ability to drive to the basket and shoot from range. With so much uncertainty looming in Charlottesville regarding who will hit the portal and who will coach next fall, Virginia fans should hope that Saunders stays for another year.  

Despite trailing by eleven at halftime, Virginia only committed three turnovers in the first half. Then, in the second half, things came crashing down for the Hoos as the team committed 12 turnovers, bringing the team to 15 on the day. We’ve said it all year on this outlet, and I’ll say it again: for a team like Virginia that plays at the slowest pace in the entire nation, turnovers are the most costly for the team in Charlottesville, which was shown on Saturday. 

The Reviville is real down in Louisville with the Cardinals sitting at 13-5, 6-1 ACC. With a decisive win over Clemson earlier in ACC play, the Cardinals find themselves as the second-best team in the ACC behind Duke, who appears to find themselves in a conference of its own in 2025. With transfers Reyne Smith and Chucky Hepburn providing instant offense, the Cardinals will be a team to watch in March. 

The Cavaliers have lost five straight games, with four of those games being double-digit losses. There’s not much hope for this team or a path that allows the Cavaliers to turn it around in 2025. With the loss on Saturday, Virginia currently sits second to last in the ACC only in front of Miami. If the Cavaliers finish in the bottom three of the ACC, they will miss the ACC tournament and not even have a shot at a miraculous auto-bid to the ACC tournament. 

The Cavaliers return to action on Tuesday, January 21st against Boston College at John Paul Jones Arena.

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