Virginia hasn't been nearly as good defensively this season as it has in the recent past, but the 11th-ranked Cavaliers were good enough Saturday to make No. 16 Louisville look completely overmatched and over-rated.
The Cardinals always have relied on turnovers to fuel their offense under coach Rick Pitino and poor perimeter shooting has made them even more dependent on transition buckets this year. That wasn't a good formula against a disciplined Virginia team that doesn't turn the ball over and forces opponents to be efficient offensively.
Midway through the second half of the 63-47 Virginia victory, Louisville guard Quentin Snider was the only Louisville starter with a field goal and he had just two. The Cardinals' starting five finished with a total of five field goals and combined to score only 20 points.
Midway through the second half of the 63-47 Virginia victory, Louisville guard Quentin Snider was the only Louisville starter with a field goal and he had just two. The Cardinals' starting five finished with a total of five field goals and combined to score only 20 points.
Only a handful of garbage-time buckets from the Cardinals in the final minute prevented it from being the lowest scoring game on the Louisville side in the Pitino coaching era at the school. The Cardinals won a game 45-33 against Cleveland State in 2014 and that outing will remain in the record books for ugly offense when Saturday's performance probably should have replaced it.
It was the worst home loss for Louisville since it began playing in the KFC Yum Center, which opened in 2010.
It was impossible not to think while watching the carnage in this one how Louisville's weak schedule didn't help it prepare for this kind of game and how Virginia having played a much stronger slate was much better prepared. Louisville is now 1-3 against ranked opponents while Virginia is 4-0.
Virginia turned the tables on Louisville and forced the Cardinals into a season-high 18 turnovers. The Cardinals shot .32.7 percent in the game, but that number was helped considerably in the final minutes. Louisville scored 32 percent of its points in the game in the final five minutes when the result was all but decided.
The Cardinals were almost as bad on the defensive end as they were trying to put the ball in the basket. Virginia dictated terms challenging the Cardinals to guard inside and out and Pitino's team couldn't do it. The Cavaliers shot 58 percent in the game with Anthony Gill and Malcolm Brogdon leading the way with 13 points each.
No comments:
Post a Comment