When Virginia lost at home to Louisville two weeks ago, it began what is now a four-game losing streak for the Cavaliers.
They’ll aim to snap the skid on Saturday afternoon when they travel to face a Cardinals team now streaking in the opposite direction.
The Cavaliers (8-9, 1-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) almost ended their losing streak on Wednesday, but SMU’s Boopie Miller’s desperation 3-point heave went in just before the buzzer to stun Virginia 54-52.
Despite the loss, interim coach Ron Sanchez still was able to take some positives from the game, telling reporters afterward his team battled despite a poor shooting night from their two leading scorers, Isaac McKneely (six points, 1-for-9 shooting) and Elijah Saunders (eight points, 1-for-5 on 2-point attempts)
“It’s definitely a step in the right direction with this group,” Sanchez said Wednesday night.
Blake Buchanan led Virginia with 11 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. Sanchez said that if the sophomore forward can duplicate that kind of performance with McKneely (11.9 points per game) and Saunders (11.6 ppg) playing to their standards, they would be able to compete on the road.
Virginia is 0-4 in road games this season, with all of its losses by 12 or more points.
The Cardinals (13-5, 6-1) enter Saturday with a seven-game winning streak, tied for eighth-longest in the nation. Four active players average 11.7 points or more per game for Louisville, and during the streak, each of them has paced the team in scoring at least once.
“We put together a group that is committed to winning way more than personal accolades, and we’ve been playing well lately,” Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said Wednesday on ACC PM.
Chucky Hepburn, who led the Cardinals with 24 points and seven assists in their 85-61 win Tuesday at Syracuse, averages 15.6 points and 5.7 assists per game. Reyne Smith scores 13.3 ppg and is making 39.3 percent of his 3-point attempts. He leads the conference and ranks tied for third nationally with 64 makes beyond the arc.
Virginia is a team that likes to dictate the pace. The Cavaliers’ adjusted tempo rating ranks second-to-last in the nation, according to KenPom.com. Louisville scored 70 on them two weeks ago, marking the fewest points the Cardinals have scored in any game during their winning streak.
