By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Five ACC basketball games, four of them on the road.
That’s a daunting stretch, but Virginia kicked it off in convincing fashion Tuesday night at the KFC Yum! Center. In its first game against a ranked opponent this season, No. 16 UVA never trailed in a 79-70 win over No. 20 Louisville.
The Cavaliers (15-2, 4-1), who are in their first season under Ryan Odom, couldn’t have scripted a much better start in the 22,000-seat arena that was the site of several of Tony Bennett’s most memorable wins. Virginia scored the first 14 points Tuesday night, silencing the home fans and forcing a Louisville timeout.
“It just showed that we were there to play and throw the first punch,” senior guard Dallin Hall said, “and it was hard to claw out of for them, I think, and that's what they were trying to do the whole game. Ultimately, we knew they were a really good team, well-coached, and they were going to throw a punch back. So we just had to stay present and weather the storm, which we did.”
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— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) January 14, 2026
Virginia, whose lead shrunk to five by halftime, separated from Louisville (12-5, 2-3) again in the second half. The Wahoos led by 15 with 12 minutes to play and by 12 with 5:32 remaining. The Cardinals never quit, however, and they sliced UVA’s lead to seven with 3:27 left.
Freshman center Johann Grünloh’s third 3-pointer pushed the Hoos’ lead back to 10, but the Cards rallied again. Two free throws by former UVA guard Isaac McKneely made it a six-point game with 1:19 remaining, and Louisville fans did all they could to will the home team closer. But the Cavaliers made 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to stretch their winning streak to four games.
“It was great,” Grünloh said. “Everybody on the team was ready to go. We accepted the loud fans, the physicality from their whole team, and we just played good basketball.”
The victory was the Hoos’ first over a ranked opponent since Nov. 29, 2023, when they defeated then-No. 14 Texas A&M 59-47.
“It means a lot to come on the road and get another road win,” senior guard Malik Thomas said. “It's big for our program and big for our team's confidence. We know that toughness travels, and we're just excited to keep it going.”
For the most part, Odom said, he thought his team played well throughout the game. “Clearly, the start really helped us. When you're on the road in a hostile environment, a great place like Louisville, getting off to a good start is imperative, and we got off to a good start on both sides of the ball.
“Obviously, you can't win a game 14-0. You have to play the entire game. And I thought our guys did a really nice job throughout of answering the majority of the challenges that came our way.”
The Cards came in averaging 88.3 points per game, and they “put so much pressure on you in transition,” Odom said. “We were completely worried about getting our defense set and getting back against them. They're relentless on the glass. They're relentless in their 3-point shooting.”
If anything, though, the Hoos were more relentless on both ends of the court. Led by the 6-foot-4 Hall, Virginia outrebounded Louisville 44-36.
A transfer from BYU whose previous career high was seven boards, Hall came down with 12 at the KFC Yum! Center.
“I think tonight our guys did a really good job of boxing their guys out,” Hall said. “My guy wasn't crashing a bunch, so it let me kind of clean up some of those rebounds. But it's been an emphasis for us as a team. We know to get better defensively, we have to get better defensive rebounding. So I just tried to help out.”
Louisville shot only 35.8% from the floor against a UVA team that continues to progress defensively.
“That’s something we talk about every day,” said Thomas, a transfer from San Francisco. “Just keep climbing that ladder. We’ve still got a long ways to go—I know we messed up a couple switches and had a couple minor mistakes—but when we get those intact, there's no telling how good we can be.”
The Cardinals were 10 for 38 from 3-point range, and when they tried to score from inside the arc, they often encountered one of Grünloh or Ugonna Onyenso, each a 7-footer.
Grünloh finished with four blocked shots, and Onyenso had three. For the season, each has 44 rejections.
“Johann and Ugo do an amazing job protecting us,” Thomas said.
“It’s huge,” Odom said of the twin towers’ impact on UVA’s defense. “Teams can get inside of your defense and get near the rim. A lot of times, the metrics will tell you, those are usually baskets or fouls. And so when you have guys back there that can protect the rim and understand how to do that without fouling, certainly it can be a weapon for your defense.”
Time and again Tuesday night, Louisville players who had the ball near the basket considered challenging Grünloh or Onyenso, only to think better of it.
“I don't like that,” Grünloh said, smiling, “because I like when they try to go up. But they get hesitant a little bit, try to dribble out, pass it out. I think it's good for us that the other team is scared.”
McKneely, who spent his first three seasons at UVA, made five treys (in 14 attempts) and finished with a game-high 23 points, his most as a Cardinal. Another Louisville guard, Ryan Conwell, added 14 points but missed 16 of 21 shots from the floor.
Thomas, who led Virginia with 19 points, was 6 for 8 from beyond the arc and 6 for 9 overall. The six 3-pointers were a career high for Thomas, a transfer from San Francisco.
Grünloh’s three 3-pointers were his most as a Cavalier, and he tied his season high with 16 points. Also scoring in double figures for UVA was swingman Sam Lewis (15 points), who had a critical blocked shot in the final three minutes.
“It’s a game full of runs,” Thomas said, “and I just feel like we stuck with it and did a great job of holding our lead.”