Big Red Louie
Fansided

Three takeaways from Louisville basketball’s victory over Virginia

By Presley Meyer

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 08: Louisville recording artist Jack Harlow celebrates with Ryan McMahon #30 of the Louisville Cardinals after they defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 80-73 at KFC YUM! Center on February 08, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 08: Louisville recording artist Jack Harlow celebrates with Ryan McMahon #30 of the Louisville Cardinals after they defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 80-73 at KFC YUM! Center on February 08, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
LOUISVILLE, KY – FEBRUARY 05: Louisville Cardinals players react from the bench in the second half of a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at KFC YUM! Center on February 5, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville defeated Wake Forest 86-76. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY – FEBRUARY 05: Louisville Cardinals players react from the bench in the second half of a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at KFC YUM! Center on February 5, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville defeated Wake Forest 86-76. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

This is a mentally tough Louisville team

One of the primary takeaways is that Louisville is one of the mentally toughest teams in the country.

I’m not sure if it took losses to Kentucky and Florida State in back-to-back games, or perhaps the learning process dates back to last year. Whatever the case, Louisville found every possible way to lose in Chris Mack’s first 50 or so games.

During this winning streak, things have been different.

Virginia had a 9 game winning streak. No player on Virginia’s roster had ever lost a game in the KFC Yum! Center, including the miracle win down 4 with .9 seconds left in 2018 and the one in a million win against Purdue to advance to the 2019 Final Four.

Tony Bennett has had Louisville’s number dating back to Rick Pitino and Louisville’s first season in the ACC. Even though Louisville has been an elite level team since joining the conference, it took a last-second foul line prayer from Mangok Mathiang in 2015 to secure the victory,

Tomas Woldetensae, a Virginia junior who neither Mack nor Nwora took a shot at his last name had more than a career game. It was a Tiger Woods/ Michael Jordan unbreakable zone type of game. Woldetensae had hit double figures in scoring only twice on the season and didn’t even get on the scoreboard on five occasions entering the game. Only a lone 7-15 effort against Wake Forest two weeks ago stood out on his stat sheet.

However, it was good ole Wolde, the Italian lefty, who was unconscious from deep regardless of the situation or defender.

Clark was shooting 34 percent from the floor and averaging 9 points entering the game, yet it was the 5’9″ point guard who went 8-13 from the field and 4-6 from beyond the arc on Saturday. It was just one of those nights.

Louisville didn’t care, however. Just like the nine games prior, Louisville found yet another way to win.

It didn’t matter that Virginia was having its best shooting game of the year or that it seemed every break was going the Wahoos way. The Cardinals stuck to the game plan, played their game, did the little things they needed to do, and came away victorious.

Home/Louisville Basketball