Photo by Seth Spalding, River City Cards
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Louisville hosts no. 1 virginia, hopes to send seniors off with win

The Louisville Cardinals host the No. 1 team in the country, Virginia Thursday at the Yum! Center, on Senior Day. The Cavaliers look to lock up a potential one-seed in March, while The Cards are fighting to make it to the NCAA Tournament.

 In a season where both on and off the court questions have plagued this Louisville team, one of the biggest one may finally be answered: Can the Cards get a signature win to bolster their tournament resume?

Looking at Virginia

The Cavaliers have won four of their last five, and have held all to under 60 points (VA Tech put up 61 in OT to earn a shock win). The Cavs are the best scoring defense in the country. They hold opponents to an average of 52.1 points per game. They even held No. 18 Clemson to just 40.

For all the defensive power that Virginia boasts, their offense is their Achilles heel. The Cavaliers only average 67.5 points per game (309th in D1). Most of the Cavalier’s largely offense relies on guards Kyle Guy and Devon Hall. the two combine for most of UVA’s points.

Anyone who has watched any of Tony Bennett’s teams know to expect a slow offense that works the ball around and runs the shot clock down to zero.

Prediction

The cards are turnover prone (13 times in the previous meeting), and it will cost them against the country’s best defense. Louisville’s only hope is that the Cardinal defense can shut down a less than impressive UVA offense, and keep the game close.

Make no mistake: this Louisville team is fighting for a ticket to the Big Dance; and the only way they will get there is if they play like a tournament team.

Prediction: UVA 64   UofL 58  

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