Louisville looks to stay hot, break jinx vs. Virginia

Louisville looks to continue an outstanding start to 2025 when it visits Virginia for an Atlantic Coast Conference contest on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va.

The Cardinals (9-5, 2-1 ACC) defeated North Carolina by 13 points on New Year's Day for their third straight win. Chucky Hepburn scored 26 points and finished 16 of 20 at the free-throw line, including a 7-for-7 effort in the final three minutes to ice the 83-70 win.

Terrence Edwards Jr., who averages 14.1 points per game, scored only seven against North Carolina but his defense helped to limit All-American RJ Davis to 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting.

"We really had to be on transition defense and block out, which are two things we really, really harped on," said first-year Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey. "I thought our guys were really good in that regard. It was probably our best defensive effort of the year."

They added to the festivities in Louisville when blue-chip point guard Mikel Brown Jr. announced his commitment to the program at halftime against the Tar Heels. The Orlando, Fla., prospect, is the first five-star recruit for Kelsey and is ranked No. 10 nationally and No. 1 at his position in the Class of 2025 by the 247Sports composite.

Louisville hopes its momentum will give it a rare edge against Virginia, which has won the last nine meetings and 18 of 19 since 2016. The Cardinals are 1-11 all-time on the road against the Cavaliers.

Virginia (8-5, 1-1) rallied from 14 down in the second half to beat North Carolina State 70-67 on Tuesday, improving to 7-1 at home this season. It was the first ACC victory for interim coach Ron Sanchez.

"I told them that's not mine, that's ours," Sanchez said of the milestone win, "and it's really yours, because I didn't make a basket today."

Elijah Saunders scored 22 points to lead the Cavaliers -- the fifth time in the last six games Saunders has scored at least 15 points -- and Isaac McKneely added 14 points with four 3-pointers.

--Field Level Media