CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In what may have been his final game at John Paul Jones Arena, Ty Jerome scored a game-high 24 points and the Wahoos held Louisville to just one field goal over the final 7:22 to win 73-68 Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, UVa (28-2, 16-2 ACC) locked up the top seed in next week's conference tournament in Charlotte.

Along with Jerome's scoring, he also dished out a game-high six assists and pulled in four boards. Classmate Kyle Guy added 13 points and a team-high six boards in the victory.

The Cards (19-12, 10-8) led with 5:46 to play before the Cavaliers went on a 7-0 run to push ahead for good. They were led by Jordan Nwora's 19 points while Malik Williams (12) and Dwayne Sutton (10) each scored in double figures.

Thing started off well for the storylines as Jack Salt, UVa's lone senior, won the opening tip on Senior Day, Guy buried a 3, De'Andre Hunter (a likely lottery pick in the next NBA Draft) had a block on the other end, and Jerome got the first of his game-high six assists on a pass to Kihei Clark for a 3-pointer.

By the under-16, Williams had five points for the Cardinals while a pair of free throws from Sutton cut the Virginia lead to 9-7.

The Cards hung tough though they wouldn't get the lead until there was 6:06 left in the half. In the middle, Jerome buried a pair of 3s on back to back possessions but the 3-point shooting of Ryan McMahon and Nwora kept Louisville close until a 3-pointer by the latter put the visiting team ahead by one.

But some 29 seconds later, thanks to a Hunter drive the Cavaliers wrestled it back. Then Jerome hit a 3 and followed that with a drive to the cup to make it 33-27 with 4:08 left.

After Mamadi Diakite scored inside off a Jerome dime, though, the Cards seemed poised for a run. Hunter made one of two at the stripe before UL closed the half on a 6-0 spurt, a spree that the Cardinals carried into the second half which also began with another 6-0 run.

Quickly, after Nwora's lone 3 of the second half, Louisville led by three. It was the first of a trio of 3s from the Cards but Jerome's free throws and then a drive before Guy's 3-pointer with 15:49 to play kept it close.

The Cards stayed just in front until the 6:28 mark when everything changed thanks to back to back 3s from Guy and Braxton Key, who scored nine points and pulled down five boards.

Christen Cunningham's and-1 put the Cards back up briefly but Virginia had the momentum and then, after two free throws from Jerome, the lead. It was part of a key 7-0 run that allowed the Hoos to ice it.

For UVa, Jay Huff played 13 important minutes and scored nine points while blocking two shots.

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