Virginia responded to its first loss of the season with a morale-boosting victory over North Carolina on Monday. They will look to embark on a new winning run when they face the streaking Louisville Cardinals who are fresh off an eight-point win over the Miami Hurricanes.
Who will emerge victorious in this highly-anticipated matchup? Read on below for a preview of this college basketball showdown and while you’re at it you can check out our preview of the game between undefeated Kentucky vs. Florida here.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Louisville Cardinals vs. Virginia Cavaliers Betting Preview
Where: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville
When: Saturday, February 7, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Louisville Cardinals at Virginia Cavaliers – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Louisville Cardinals
The Louisville Cardinals extended their winning streak to four games with a convincing 63-55 win over the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday. The Cardinals built an early 13-point edge and held off a furious fight back by the Hurricanes to improve their record this season to 19-3.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]The Cardinals were once again led by their dynamic backcourt duo of Terry Rozier and Chris Jones. Rozier had 22 points, five rebounds and three steals while Jones chipped in 16 points of his own in addition to his eight rebounds, five assists and six steals. Rozier was particularly clutch in the second half, scoring 12 points including several rally-killing baskets down the stretch.
Montrezl Harrell added 18 points and nine rebounds as well for the Cardinals, who improved to 7-2 in conference play this season. The trio is averaging a combined 47.6 points per game this season, almost 60 percent of the team’s total output.
If they are to beat third-seeded Virginia this coming Saturday, however, they will need their bench to step up on offense. Louisville’s bench failed to score a single point in their game against Miami and that will not be good enough against a great defensive team such as Virginia.
The Cardinals will fancy their chances against the Cavaliers, however, because of their great play on the defensive end as well. Key to their success against Miami was limiting the offensive production of the Hurricanes’ top two scoring stars. They held Sheldan McClellan and Angel Rodriguez to just 12 points on a combined 4 of 14 shooting.
They limited Miami as a whole to just 34 percent shooting from the field. The Cardinals are one of the best defensive teams in the nation today allowing just 58.8 points per game this season, 21st in the entire NCAA.
The Cardinals are 4-1 in their last five games on the road.
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Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers bounced back from their first defeat of the season with an impressive 75-64 drubbing of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Monday night. It was the first time in more than 34 years that Virginia has successfully defeated a ranked Tar Heels team at Chapel Hill.
Much has been said about Virginia’s superb defense this season but it was their offense that took center stage against North Carolina. The Cavaliers shot 52 percent from the field as they used a balanced offensive attack to stifle the Tar Heels.
Four Cavaliers scored in double-figures, led by Malcolm Brogdon’s 17 points. Justin Anderson joined the scoring parade as well with 16 points while Anthony Gill came off the bench to fire in 13 markers of his own. Head coach Tony Bennett was particularly pleased with the aggressive play of point guard London Perrantes who rebounded strongly after his sub-par performance against Duke a week ago.
Perrantes had 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field after shooting just five times in their previous game against the Blue Devils. Perrantes is a vital cog in the Virginia offense, averaging 5.7 PPG and a team-best 4.6 APG this season.
One of the key components behind their huge win against North Carolina was their renewed emphasis on transition defense. After allowing a season-high 14 fast-break points against Duke, the Cavaliers buckled down and limited the Tar Heels to just one fast-break basket which came with just 1:53 remaining in the game.
That will come in handy against a Louisville offense that is averaging 73.1 points per game this season, 61st in the entire NCAA. The Cavaliers won’t be fazed by those numbers one bit as they are allowing just 50.2 points per game this season, the fewest in the entire nation.
The Cavaliers are 4-1 in their last five games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia caps its brutal three-game stretch with a 60-50 win over Louisville.
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