Louisville, KY – The University of Louisville is set to take on the Virginia Cavaliers in Charlottesville, VA, on Saturday, January 4, at 4 PM. This game comes just a few days after the Cards’ huge 83-70 conference win over North Carolina on New Year’s Day. To make things even better, PK and the Cards got their first commit for the class of 2025, 5-star point guard Mikel Brown Jr., as he did a live commitment during the UNC game. The Cards are looking to keep the momentum rolling for the start of the new year, hoping to extend their winning streak to 4 games on Saturday with a win over the Hoos. Let’s take a look at the matchup.

UVA comes into the game with an 8-5 record and a 1-1 record in ACC play, which ranks them 7th in the conference standings—just a half-game behind the Cards. Virginia has won 2 out of their last 3, with a 70-67 win over conference opponent NC State on New Year’s Eve. 4 out of the 5 Hoos’ losses have come from ranked teams. The Hoos are led by Interim Head Coach Ron Sanchez. Sanchez became the interim head coach on October 18, when former coaching legend Tony Bennett abruptly retired just weeks before the season started. This is Sanchez’s second year with the program. Before arriving in Charlottesville, Sanchez was the head coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 2018-2023, with a record of 72-78.

The Hoos are led by junior point guard Isaac McKneely, who leads the team in scoring with 12.8 ppg, along with averaging 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists. During their matchup with NC State, Sanchez decided to bench Dai Dai Ames, who only played a total of 9 minutes. Sanchez replaced Ames with junior Andrew Rohde, and it seemed to give the Hoos the spark they needed, as they went on to come back from down 10 in the second half to win the game. Rohdes finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists. He would be someone to keep an eye on during Saturday’s game.

Going into the game on Saturday, PK is looking to start a new trend against the Hoos. The Cards have not had much luck versus UVA in the past. The last time these two teams faced off was last season, when the Hoos were victorious with a 69-52 win over the Kenny Payne-led Cardinals. A win on Saturday would give the Cards their first win in Charlottesville since February 17, 1990. Virginia leads the series 24 to 5, with Louisville’s last win being in the 2019/2020 season (2/8/2020: 80-73 @ Yum! Center). The Cards have not played well in Charlottesville either, with an overall record of 1-11 at UVA. PK and company look to end Virginia’s winning streak over the Cards, which currently sits at 9 wins.

For the Cards to win on Saturday, they will need another big game from sophomore center James Scott. Scott led the team in rebounds vs UNC with 8 rebounds, along with 11 points on 83% FG shooting. The Hoos have struggled with rebounding, especially on the defensive end. In their matchup versus NC State, the Hoos let the Wolfpack get 9 second-chance points in the final 4 minutes of the game. Expect a big showing from Scott, as well as Hadley, to get his fair share of rebounds off the glass.

KenPom gives the edge to the Cards, with a 56% chance of winning. With a win on Saturday, the Cards will move to 10-5 on the year and will improve to 3-1 in ACC play. This is a major game for both sides, as both teams are looking to boost their resume for the NCAA tournament in March. Pat Kelsey is looking to take the Cards to their first NCAA tournament since the 2019 season. You can currently get the Cards at +168 odds at FanDuel to make the tournament.

You can catch the Cards in action tomorrow versus Virginia at 4 PM on the ACC Network. Go Cards!