The Virginia Cavaliers own the nation’s best defense, but on Thursday night, they won through their offense – or at least it was what saved them from getting another blemish on their March Madness resume, as they escaped by only the skin of their teeth in a 67-66 road win over the Louisville Cardinals.

Down by two points to the Cards with only 0.9 seconds left on the game clock, the Cavs looked to inbound the ball for a last stab at making a basket. Virginia sophomore guard Ty Jerome then passed the ball to freshman De’Andre Hunter, who found himself open beyond the arc before nailing a huge game-winning triple to send Virginia into another victory.

Jerome paced the Cavs with 21 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field, while Hunter chipped in seven points.

It was a big win for the Tony Bennett’s team, as Virginia avoided a loss against an unranked team, which could have affected the Cavs’ status as the No. 1 squad in the nation. For those keeping count, Virginia’s Thursday win over Louisville was the Cavs’ 11th win this season against a top 50 RPI team and second against the Cardinals; Virginia took down Louisville in Charlottesville back on Jan. 31, 74-64.

Here's a video of Hunter's game-winning basket from another angle:

The Cavs, who boast of a defense that allows just 52.1 points per game, will now prepare for their regular-season finale at home this Saturday against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish before heading into the ACC Tournament. The Cavaliers have won nine of their last 10 home games.

Virginia owns a 27-2 overall record and a 16-1 slate in the conference.

De'Andre Hunter
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