Multiple Virginia players complain the ball was flat in second half vs. Louisville
The No. 7 ranked Virginia Cavaliers barely escaped on the road against the Louisville Cardinals on Wednesday night, prevailing 61-58. It was a frenetic finish that saw the Cardinals have a chance to tie to the game up in the final seconds, but they missed a three-point attempt. After the game, there was controversy surrounding the basketball from Virginia players. Ben Vander Plas and Kihei Clark complained that the basketball was flat in the second half. Plas showed an official how his fingers pushed into it late in the game, according to Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Right at the end of the game, Clark could be seen immediately grabbing the ball and handing it to his head coach Tony Bennett, to show him the basketball was not inflated properly.
You can see that video here. Tony Bennett was immediately checking it to see how much pressure was in the ball.
We’ll have to see if there is some sort of an investigation about it from the ACC officials. If the Virginia players told the officials that the ball wasn’t inflated properly, then the problem should have been resolved in the middle of the game.
With the win, Clark became the winningest player in ACC history with 71 wins, passing former Duke Blue Devil Shane Battier. Like he’s done for much of the season, Clark once again carried the Cavaliers down the stretch, stuffing the stat sheet with 14 points, four rebounds, and six assists.
A win is a win in college hoops, but that kind of a performance can’t be comforting for Virginia fans. Louisville has been playing better basketball lately, but still, the Cavaliers should have closed the game out sooner with free throws down the stretch.
Virginia is still tied with Pittsburgh for first place in the ACC standings, and they’ll need to play better in the ACC and NCAA Tournament, than they did on Wednesday night, if they hope to have any sort of a significant run in March.