Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Virginia Cavaliers

The Cardinals conclude the regular season with a senior day matchup with the Cavaliers.

Virginia Cavaliers (17-12, 11-8 ACC) at Louisville Cardinals (12-17, 6-13 ACC)

- Tipoff: Saturday, March 5th at 12:00 p.m. EST
- Location: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
- How To Watch: ESPN2
- How To Listen: WKRD 790 AM
- Betting Favorite: Virginia -2.0 (KenPom)
- All-Time Series: Virginia leads 18-5
- Last Meeting: Virginia won 64-52 on Jan. 24, 2021 (John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

• F Dre Davis (6-6, 210, So.)
• F Jae'Lyn Withers (6-8, 225, R-So.)
• C Sydney Curry (6-8, 270, Jr.)
• G El Ellis (6-3, 180, Jr.)
• G Jarrod West (5-11, 185, Gr.)

Virginia

• F Jayden Gardner (6-6, 246, Sr.)
• F Francisco Caffaro (7-1, 242, R-Jr.)
• G Kihei Clark (5-10, 172, Sr.)
• G Reece Beekman (6-3, 181, So.)
• G Armaan Franklin (6-4, 204, Jr.)

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Cavaliers, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of The Tape & Prediction: Louisville vs. Virginia Cavaliers

Game Notes

Louisville

• Louisville plays its final home game of the season on Senior Day as the Cardinals face the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday, UofL’s first home game in 14 days. Fans are encouraged to “Wear Red for the Seniors” and arrive by 11:35 a.m. for the pregame Senior Day ceremony. Senior Day posters will be available on both the lower and upper concourses while supplies last.
• Louisville fell 75-43 at Virginia Tech on Tuesday as Sydney Curry produced his second double-double of the season with 18 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. UofL fell behind 12-2 to start the game and 33-21 at halftime, and could not get closer than 11 in the second half.
• Louisville has won 17 of its last 21 Senior Day games.
• Malik Williams was suspended for the game at Virginia Tech, but is expected to play against Virginia.
• Sydney Curry has averaged 23 points and nine rebounds in his last two games while shooting 70 percent from the field (21-of-30). His 28 points at Wake Forest was the most for a Cardinal since Jordan Nwora finished with 37 at Boston College on Jan. 29, 2020. Curry’s 13 field goals made (in 18 attempts) were the most by a Louisville player since Russ Smith finished 14-of-22 in a win over Houston in the AAC semifinals on March 14, 2014. He achieved his second double-double of the year with 18 points and 11 rebounds at Virginia Tech.
• Louisville has a 64-23 record in its conference home games over the last 10 years (.736). UofL has the fifth-most conference home wins in its eight years in the ACC with a 50-20 ACC home record.
• El Ellis has scored in double figures in six of the last nine games, including a career-high 25 in the Feb. 1 meeting against North Carolina. He is averaging 10.7 points per game over the last 16 games -- top for the Cardinals in that stretch, while hitting 27-of-73 threes (.370), including 12.6 ppg in the last nine.
• Jarrod West is fourth in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio (2.49) and is fourth in the nation in career steals among active players with 291.
• Noah Locke passed 1,200 career points with 14 at Wake Forest. He has 17 double figure scoring efforts this year, including four of the last seven games. He has made 38 percent of his three-pointers in ACC games (39-of-103). Locke has made multiple three-pointers in 18 games and at least three in 12 games this season.
• Louisville will be between a No. 10-13 seed in the 2022 ACC Tournament in Brooklyn depending on Saturday’s results around the league
• Louisville has averaged 28.5 points per game from its bench this season. The Cardinals have had 33 double-figure scoring efforts off the bench. Louisville’s bench has contributed 30 or more bench points on 14 occasions this season. Louisville picked up 59 points off the bench at Wake Forest, its most since scoring 63 against Southern on Nov. 13, 2018. The Cards are ninth in the nation in bench minutes (42.7 percent)
• Louisville does not have a double-figure scorer on its team, but has 10 players averaging between 4.7 and 9.5 points per game. The last time UofL finished the season without a double figure scorer was 1943- 44
• This is the first time a Louisville team has dropped at least 17 of its first 29 games since the Cardinals started 11-18 in 2000-01. The Cardinals’ seven-game losing streak broken with a win over Clemson on Feb. 19 was the longest for UofL since 1940-41
• Opponents have shot over 10 percentage points higher against the Cardinals in their 17 losses (.476) than in their 12 victories (.376)
• Louisville used its 14th different starting lineup against Clemson on Feb. 19
• Louisville’s leading scorer has come from the bench 12 times this season, including six of the last 10 games (latest: Sydney Curry with 28 points off the bench at Wake Forest on Feb. 26)
• Louisville made 10 three-pointers at Syracuse, its 11th game this season and fifth straight with at least eight made threes. However, the Cardinals have made a collective 31-of-137 threes in its last six games (.226). The Cardinals made a seasonhigh 15 three-pointers against North Carolina on Feb. 1, its most in eight years and a span of 257 games (season low two three-pointers vs. Miami). UofL made a high of eight threes in a game on just three occasions last year
• Jarrod West had made 12 three-pointers on the season in his first 18 games before making 15-of-31 threes over the last 11 contests (.484). West has made 247-of 667 threes over his collegiate career (.370). West handed out his 500th career assist vs. Clemson. He is fourth in the nation in career steals among active players with 291
• Jae’Lyn Withers has averaged 8.0 points and 4.7 rebounds over the last 12 games while shooting 45 percent from the field (39-87), scoring nine or more points in seven of those 12 (five of the last eight; averaging 9.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg in the last eight). He had multiple stitches in his mouth after taking a blow in practice last week, limiting him to a combined 17 minutes in his last two games. Withers averaged 4.2 points in the first 17 games of the season
• After averaging just 9.6 turnovers in a stretch of 10 games, Louisville has averaged 15 turnovers over its last three games. The Cardinals have committed single-digit turnovers in five of its last 11 games, and six of the last 13 games.

Virginia

• Matthew Cleveland drained a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to send Florida State (15-13, 8-10 ACC) to a 64-63 win over Virginia (17-12, 11-8) on Feb. 26 at John Paul Jones Arena. Armaan Franklin’s (13 points) pull-up jumper with one second left gave the Cavaliers a 63-61 lead. Cleveland (20 points) scored the Seminoles’ final eight points. Jayden Gardner led UVA with 21 points and Francisco Caffaro pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. FSU shot 47.4 percent and won the rebound battle 34-32.
• The Cavaliers play defense, take good shots, share and take care of the basketball, rebound, and play more defense.
• UVA is led by its backcourt of Kihei Clark (10.3 ppg & 4.2 apg) and Reece Beekman (7.9 ppg, 4.9 apg, 3.4 rpg & 2.0 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (15.5 ppg & 7.0 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (11.4 ppg)
• The Cavaliers added transfers Gardner (East Carolina) and Franklin (Indiana) to fill the void left by standouts Sam Hauser (16 ppg), Jay Huff (13 ppg) and Trey Murphy III (11.3 ppg).
• Gardner averaged 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in 79 career games at East Carolina, while Franklin averaged 11.4 points and shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range in 2020-21.
• Francisco Caffaro (4.6 ppg & 4.7 rpg) and Kadin Shedrick (6.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg & 2.1 bpg) anchor the paint. Shedrick started the first 16 games, while Caffaro has started the last 13 contests.
• Kody Stattmann (36.7% 3FGs), Malachi Poindexter, Taine Murray, Igor Miliĉić Jr. and Carson McCorkle provide perimeter depth off the bench.
• UVA ranks eighth nationally in turnovers per game (9.8), 11th in scoring defense (60.4 ppg), 20th in assist/turnover ratio (1.45) and 19th in personal fouls per game (13.9).
• Reece Beekman ranks second nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.62) and 40th in steals (2.0 spg).
• Kadin Shedrick ranks 38th in blocks shots per game (2.1).
• Jayden Gardner has a 12-game double figure scoring streak.
• Reece Beekman has at least one steal in 26 of 29 games.
• Kadin Shedrick is shooting 71 percent (39 of 59) from the field over his past 11 games.
• Armaan Franklin is 6 of 11 from 3-point range during his threegame 3-point streak.
• Francisco Caffaro is averaging 6.4 rebounds since starting at center the past 13 games.
• UVA ranks 11th nationally in scoring defense at 60.4 ppg. The Cavaliers have held their opponents to 42.9 percent shooting and 34.6 percent from 3-point range.
• UVA has forced 31 shot clock violations and averaged 25.7 shot clock violations from 2019-21 (31 in 2018-19).
• The Cavaliers have limited 12 opponents to 56 or fewer points. UVA has limited eight foes to 40 percent or less field goal shooting and out-rebounded 14 opponents (11-3).
• Bennett-coached teams have led the nation in scoring defense seven times and finished in the top-five nationally 11 times.

(Photo of Malik Williams: Geoff Burke - USA TODAY Sports)

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