The Louisville Cardinals (4-26, 2-17 ACC) will try to overcome one of the NCAA’s top scoring defenses when they travel to face the No. 13 Virginia Cavaliers (22-6, 14-5 ACC) on Saturday. Louisville was beaten by the Virginia Tech Hokies 71-54 at KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday, their third loss in a row.
Mike James and El Ellis were the scoring leaders in defeat with 14 points apiece. The Cardinals remain 15th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia won their ninth straight home game on Tuesday at John Paul Jones Arena, beating the Clemson Tigers 64-57.
Armaan Franklin, Isaac McKneely, and Jayden Gardner topped the scoresheet with 12 points each. With 7 points and eight assists, Reece Beekman also played a part. The Cavaliers remain second in the Atlantic Coast Conference. This is the last meeting of the season between the teams.
After winning the only previous season game against Louisville 61-58 at KFC Yum! Center on February 15, their sixth straight head-to-head victory, Virginia will be seeking a season sweep. Ellis led the game in scoring with 21 points in defeat. Franklin had 14 points for the Cavaliers.
The Cardinals have been led this season by Ellis, who is averaging 17.8 points per game. Ellis also has dished 4.4 assists per game. Meanwhile, Jae’Lyn Withers is grabbing 5.3 rebounds.
Franklin (12.4 ppg), Gardner (11.6), and Kihei Clark (11.3) have been the primary providers for the Cavaliers on offense. Gardner also has collected 5.5 rebounds per game, while Clark has doled out 5.7 assists per game.
The Cavaliers are one of the top scoring defenses in the country, ranking 10th with 60.5 points per game allowed. In the last 10 games, Louisville is 2-8 with an average margin of -9.2 (67.4-76.6).
For the season, the Cardinals are averaging 64.1 points per game, compared to 75.7 for opponents. Virginia has gone 7-3 over the last 10, scoring 63.6 points per game on average while allowing 60.9 (+2.7 margin). The Cavaliers are averaging 67.9 ppg for the full season while allowing 60.5.
CARDINALS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
JJ Traynor: 18.6 | 11.0 | +7.6
Emmanuel Okorafor: 0.0 | 4.1 | -4.1
Points per game:
JJ Traynor: 12.0 | 6.7 | +5.3
Jae’Lyn Withers: 6.4 | 9.1 | -2.7
Rebounds per game:
Jae’Lyn Withers: 6.8 | 5.3 | +1.5
Sydney Curry: 2.4 | 4.4 | -2.0
Assists per game:
El Ellis: 2.8 | 4.4 | -1.6
CAVALIERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Kadin Shedrick: 3.4 | 9.2 | -5.8
Points per game:
Reece Beekman: 7.0 | 9.4 | -2.4
Rebounds per game:
Jayden Gardner: 8.2 | 5.5 | +2.7
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Virginia -19.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
