The Good, Bad and Ugly of Virginia Basketball's Close Win Over Louisville

The Virginia Cavaliers have extended their winning streak after defeating Louisville.

Jan 13, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Ryan Conwell (3) shoots against Virginia Cavaliers guard Sam Lewis (5) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Virginia defeated Louisville 79-70. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Now that the Virginia Cavaliers have secured yet another victory this season, this time over Louisville by a score of 79-70, UVA is now running 15-2 overall and stands at 4-1 in conference play. Their winning streak extended to four games, despite projections showing the Cardinals coming out on top. With the tight victory under their belt, let's take a look at how the Cavaliers' game unfolded.

The Good

Jan 13, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Adrian Wooley (14) dribbles against Virginia Cavaliers guard Sam Lewis (5) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Virginia defeated Louisville 79-70. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Defeating the Cardinals this week marked the first time since 2023 that Virginia has clinched a victory over a ranked opponent. Not to mention, this was the first time this season that the Cavaliers even faced a ranked opponent — truly a remarkable way to claim a win. Although UVA didn't win by a comfortable margin, they were able to stay ahead throughout the game. During head coach Ryan Odom's postgame press conference, he made it a point to highlight his players' success on the court, stating:

"This was a good basketball game for Virginia. No doubt. Louisville is excellent. Coach Kelsey does an awesome job. They have really good players. They work well together. They put so much pressure on you in transition. We were completely worried about, you know, getting our defense set and getting back against them. They're relentless on the glass. They're relentless in their three-point shooting. I thought for the most part, our guys, you know, did a really nice job throughout the night..."

The Bad

Jan 13, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs de Ridder (28) dribbles against Louisville Cardinals guard J'vonne Hadley (1) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Throughout the Cavaliers' 2025-26 campaign, freshman forward Thijs De Ridder has generally been headlining with a notable number of points. However, he took the backseat last night, when compared to his usual offensive performance.

For reference, during the Virginia-Stanford matchup on Jan. 10, De Ridder posted 22 points. However, last night, he only recorded nine, shooting 30.0% from the floor. Although he wasn't as productive with scoring, he did contribute eight rebounds, two assists and one block.

The Ugly

Virginia’s Johann Grunloh, right, and Dallin Hall celebrate winning against Louisville in the KFC Yum! Center Tuesday night. Jan. 13, 2026 | Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Considering the down-to-the-wire finish last night, it's clear that the Cavaliers struggled to pull ahead and maintain a substantial lead. However, if there's anything good to come from this situation, it's that UVA proved itself once again to be a strong competitor right up until the end. The Cavaliers have been making a pattern out of second-half surges, and that trend continues. As guard Dallin Hall stated, per Jeff White of Virginia Sports:

“It just showed that we were there to play and throw the first punch, and it was hard to claw out of for them, I think, and that's what they were trying to do the whole game. Ultimately, we knew they were a really good team, well-coached, and they were going to throw a punch back. So we just had to stay present and weather the storm, which we did.”