As a unit, Virginia’s 4-man post rotation featuring junior Isaiah Wilkins, redshirt sophomore Jack Salt, sophomore Jarred Reuter and redshirt freshman Mamadi Diakite turned in one of their best games of the 2016/2017 season in Wednesday night’s 61-53 victory at No. 6 Louisville.

Louisville’s primary post players — Jaylen Johnson, Mangok Mathiang, Anas Mahmoud and Ray Spalding — have averaged a combined 27.1 points and 22.8 rebounds per game through 13 games this season, including the Virginia game. Notable performances from this group prior to UVA included a 20-point, 21-rebound effort against No. 8 Kentucky the previous week as well as 37 points and 20 boards against a talented Purdue frontline. Louisville won both games.

Wednesday night at the KFC Yum! Center, UVA’s post quartet outshined Louisville’s in both scoring (20 points to 14) and rebounding (19 boards to 17). Battling foul trouble, Salt led all players with seven rebounds. The always active Wilkins had five rebounds, four points, two steals, and one assist. Diakite shined off the bench, contributing eight points, four rebounds and two steals in just 15 minutes, and Reuter scored six points and pulled down three rebounds in reserve duty. The Cardinals foursome turned the ball over seven times, while Virginia’s surrendered the ball only twice.

With previous post mainstays Anthony Gill and Mike Tobey and their 21.1 points and 10.5 rebounds (last season’s per game average) gone, UVA’s 2016/2017 frontline was supposed to be headlined by potential All-American Austin Nichols. Nichols, however, was dismissed from the program following the second game of the season, putting a much bigger spotlight on Wilkins, Salt, Reuter and Diakite.

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