NEW YORK – Kyle Guy and the top-ranked Virginia men’s basketball team looked like healthy favorites in their postseason debut, beating Louisville 75-58 in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals Thursday.
Guy scored 19 points in his speedy return from a sprained left knee, and the top-seeded Cavaliers (29-2) weathered a second-half charge. They’ll play 19th-ranked, fourth-seeded Clemson (23-8) in the first semifinal tonight.
Devon Hall had 14 points as Virginia methodically dismantled an opponent desperate for a big upset to augment its NCAA tournament credentials. Instead, the ninth-seeded Cardinals (20-13) will sweat out Selection Sunday hoping for an at-large bid.
Guy sprained his left knee last Saturday in the regular-season finale against Notre Dame and went scoreless in 18 minutes. But the sophomore guard, Virginia’s leading scorer this season and a first-team All-ACC selection, started against the Cardinals as expected, wearing a large brace on his knee.
He shot 7-for-14 from the field – including 4-for-6 on 3-pointers – in 36 minutes. Guy also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, and his three-point play with 2:35 left made it 69-54 soon after Louisville had sliced the margin to four.