Pitino: U of L 'fed the monster' at UVA

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – -- If you watched Saturday's 52-47 Virginia win over the University of Louisville basketball team and wondered if something was off with U of L, particularly in the first half, you weren't alone.

Ninth-ranked Louisville came here to Virginia expecting a knock-down, drag-out affair against one of the nation's most physical defensive teams. But, Louisville coach Rick Pitino said, all the work his team put in during the three days leading up to the game went by the wayside in the first 20 minutes.

Louisville's players grew anxious, deserting the offensive sets that Pitino was confident would break down Virginia, instead opting for one-on-one basketball and ill-advised top-of-the-key pick-and-rolls against a packed-in defense. Time and again, Louisville's guards found themselves in a sea of Virginia defenders with few options.

"We worked very hard for three days and had a way to beat their defense, and we ignored it in the first half," Pitino said. "We learned a lesson losing to North Carolina at the buzzer about pick-and-roll defense and how it can hurt us. We learned a valuable lesson tonight about how to execute a game plan."

Related:What we learned in Louisville's UVA loss

That lesson came rather hard. Louisville made just four shots in the first half, fewer than the previous low of five field goals in the second half of a 45-33 win over Cleveland State. To amplify their struggles, the Cardinals (19-4, 7-3 in the ACC) grabbed just two offensive rebounds and committed six turnovers in the half. They finished the opening period on a 10-minute, 32-second scoring drought and trailed 24-13.

It was the first game in at least five seasons that Louisville didn't score a single point off a turnover.

"We fed the monster," Pitino said.

For what it's worth, third-ranked Virginia (21-1, 9-1 in the ACC) didn't play that much better, making just 9 of 28 from the field. But Virginia did something Louisville didn't in protecting the ball. The Cavaliers only lost one turnover in the opening 20 minutes -- and two for the game -- against a Louisville defense fueled by turnover creation.

"We beat ourselves up a lot," junior forward Montrezl Harrell said. "We didn't force a turnover the whole first half and we didn't run a lot of our plays."

Story continues after video

Louisville guard Chris Jones said that as much as his team prepared for Virginia's intense, "Pack-Line" defense, the Cards were still surprised by Virginia's size and strength.

Virginia, Jones explained, took Louisville out of its best sets.

"I didn't know they were that big," Jones said. "They've all got grown-man bodies. I looked at their team and I looked at our team. We've got to look like those guys."

Game Rewind:Louisville-Virginia

But if there's one thing Louisville has learned this season, especially in recent weeks, it's that losses like this -- close defeats on the road -- serve as teaching moments. It's a cliche, sure, and Louisville would prefer to learn while winning. But just like the Cardinals learned in their loss at UNC, they'll learn from Saturday's disappointing decision at Virginia.

And just like that loss at UNC, Louisville gets a shot at Virginia at home in a month.

"We'll go back and watch film and do like we did against North Carolina," Jones said. "We've got to fix the problems that held us back in the game."

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).