Malik Thomas drilled six threes and Virginia torched the nets at 55% after halftime to steal a 79-70 win at No. 20 Louisville—proof the Cavaliers already own the shot-making that decides March.
Louisville, Ky.—Virginia’s offense has a new sniper and a renewed swagger. Sophomore guard Malik Thomas buried six triples and finished with 19 points, powering No. 16 Virginia to a 79-70 road victory over No. 20 Louisville on Tuesday night. The win lifts the Cavaliers to 15-2 overall, 4-1 in the ACC, and stamps them as a team that can win away from JPJ with March-level shot-making.
Second-Half Surge Flips the Script
Virginia shot 40% in the first half and labored through a 13-0 Louisville burst that trimmed a 14-point lead to one. The response: 7-of-13 from deep after the break, including four straight Thomas triples that silenced the KFC Yum! Center crowd. Johann Grunloh, the 7-foot freshman, added 16 points, seven boards and four blocks while canning 3-of-4 from arc himself—numbers that force opponents to pick between packing the paint or chasing Virginia’s five-out spacing.
Louisville’s Wounded Back-Court Can’t Keep Up
The Cardinals (12-5, 2-3) entered shorthanded—no Mikel Brown Jr. (back, seventh straight game) and no Khani Rooths (illness). Isaac McKneely, facing his former teammates for the first time since transferring, poured in a season-high 23 points but needed 20 shots to get there. Louisville shot 36% overall and missed consecutive open triples down 74-68, allowing Virginia’s Sam Lewis (15 pts) and Dallin Hall (12 rebs) to ice the game at the stripe.
White Returns, Depth Deepens
Jacari White, Virginia’s top returning 40% three-point shooter, checked in for 12 minutes after 3½ weeks out with a broken left wrist. His five points came on a corner triple and a slick feed to Grunloh for a dunk—small numbers, massive symbolism. Tony Bennett now has a 10-man rotation that can toggle between grind-it-out tempo and quick-strike perimeter fire.
ACC Implications & Bracket Forecast
- Virginia moves within half a game of first-place Duke and owns the tiebreaker edge over Louisville in the league’s muddled middle.
- The Cavaliers are 3-0 in true road games; only Clemson has more Q1 victories in the ACC so far.
- Louisville drops to 1-3 vs. Quad 1 opponents, denting its protected-seed résumé ahead of Saturday’s trip to Pittsburgh.
Next Up
Virginia visits SMU on Saturday in a rare AAC-ACC clash that doubles as a sneaky NET-booster. Louisville heads to Pittsburgh needing a win to keep pace in the league’s crowded 5-12 logjam. Pat Kelsey confirmed ex-G League guard London Johnson won’t play this season, preserving two years of eligibility but leaving the Cards without another shot-creator for the stretch run.
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