Watch: Nolan Smith, Louisville Players Preview Virginia

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program came very close to pulling off a massive upset.

Fresh off of a 34-point beatdown at Pitt for their worst loss of the season, the Cardinals went toe-for-toe with No. 19 Miami, and nearly came out of Coral Gables as winners despite being a 20.5 point underdog. Had they not dug themselves into a 10-0 hole right out of the gates, they might not have fallen 93-85 to the Canes this past Saturday.

"Every day is an opportunity to get better," assistant coach Nolan Smith said. "That's one thing our guys have been told, and that's one thing that they're doing. ... We got punched in our mouths down at Pitt, but then we bounced back against a very good Miami team - who just beat Carolina - and go toe-to-toe with them down to the wire. We just didn't make the plays in order to win the game."

Louisville's next game, while at home, will be an even greater test. They'll welcome Virginia to the KFC Yum! Center on Wednesday night, who is ranked as the No. 7 team in the country and tied with Pitt for the top of the ACC standings.

"The main thing, for me, that makes them special is that they're a player-ran team, as good as Tony (Bennett) is," Smith said. "They're old. They have three fifth-years, a junior and senior in their starting lineup. Right there makes them very special, because they don't look to the sideline and say, "what are we running?" They know what they're running, they know what they're doing offensively. All of them have done it for a long time in that program. That makes them really good and really dangerous."

Prior to their matchup with the Cavaliers, Smith, forward Jae'Lyn Withers and forward Kamari Lands took time to meet with the media. They discussed the previous game at Miami, previewed the upcoming matchup vs. Virginia, talked about the improvements in various players, and more.

Below are the videos from their press conference:

Assistant Coach Nolan Smith

Forward Jae'Lyn Withers and forward Kamari Lands

(Photo of Nolan Smith: Sam Upshaw Jr. - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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