Everything From Head Coach Ryan Odom After A 104-78 Win Over Marshall

Virginia picked up another win on Saturday afternoon and advanced to 4-0 on the season. The story is its offense and how well the defense and offense complement each other. The Hoos scored 100 points for the first time in seven years. Head coach Ryan Odom reacted to the win and gave his thoughts on the performance of the team.

Opening Statement....

“Certainly, you know, our guys did a nice job in that first half. When we got away from that in the second half, you can see how it can impact you overall. Our shot selection wasn't great. We weren't getting as clean of looks as we wanted to in the middle portion of that half. And you got to credit Marshall. They did a good job of getting out on us and putting a little bit more pressure on us. It impacted our defense. And so you have to have both throughout. But I thought our guys did a nice job of righting the ship there and finishing in a positive way (Didn’t include full statement no audio at first 58 seconds)

On the 15-0 run in the first half and if he envisioned having so many guys who can make it tough for a defense….

“Yeah, there's no question about it. The depth is something that, you know, we're going to have to lean on, you know, this year. We have a lot of different guys on the roster that could easily say, hey, I should be starting or this or that or the other. We have to get past that as a group because it's not about one individual it's about the team. We've hammered that home with them since the day we were recruited them and the day that they stepped on campus together and and part of you know being able to play this style is having the depth in order to do that. We like our team and the collection of guys that we've put together.”

On how the offense and high pressure defense has felt to the identity of the Cavaliers…

“There were times out there where we got the turnover and then Dallin makes the three. I mean, there were some times out there where it was like, okay, the guys are really imposing their will and might on the game. I think we're going to have ebbs and flows. You're not going to play perfect basketball. But our goal right now is just to continue to try to get better every practice, every shoot around, every game, every film session, to just improve and try to get the guys playing to their full potential It's still really early in the season. We're only four games in. So by no means are we where we need to be right now. We're excited about where we're at, but we need to get a lot better.”

On where his big men have been having success this season…

“Yeah, they're all three really good players. You know, Tess (Thijs De Ridder) is physical and can get to the basket and has the touch, you know, on some of his passing, you know, in pick and roll and just in general. Johann (Grunloh), you saw him tonight he can make a shot, you know, from behind the arc. I know he hasn't shot it, you know, to the point where he has wanted to so far this year, but he's a good shooter and we're confident in him. He can catch around the rim and put it in. He's really good at protecting our basket. Ugo (Ugonna Onyenso) is very similar in that regard. He protects the rim. He can stretch you a little bit. And just really overall helps our flow. Now, they were facing a monster tonight. They got 7-4, and you catch around the rim. It's not like, you know, playing the normal basketball player. There were a couple of times where our guys did a nice job of getting around him. There were others where we picked it up, and you're not getting a shot off on 7-4 like that. And we have to be a little bit smarter there. I thought the guys adjusted well. So we're confident in the front court. And then once Devin (Tillis) gets back, that'll be another player that we can put out there that is a good player all around.”

On how valuable it was going against Matt Van Komen with more Power 4 opponents coming up on the schedule…

“It was great. I mean, it was great for our guys. You know, you can only watch so much film. You have to feel it. And obviously, we felt it, you know it was great. Obviously we felt it, you know, pretty early. You saw a coupleof times early in the game where if he's near the basket and our guys come over and our guys are used to coming over to protect the rim and block shots, well, if he's there, he's just going to put it in. The guards, there's no such thing really as a cover down, block out, you know, or veer blocks at that point because he's just too big. So we had this adjustment, you know, for us, and you have to stay more attached to a guy like that, you know, which can impact your guards and your ability. I thought, to stay in front, you know, the importance of that. They made a lot of hard two-point shots, you kno,w shots over the course of the game. And stylistically, we didn't want them shooting catch-and-shoot threes. They really search for it. And I thought our guys did a nice job of getting out behind the line and forcing them inside the line. But they made some hard ones throughout.”

On the concern of guards going off against Virginia this season..

“I think every game that we're gonna play, we're gonna play a team that is gonna have a leading scorer coming out of that game. The key is minimizing how they play, right? I think our guys did that for the most part. You know, you look at (Wyatt) Fricks. I mean, he only attempted three threes in the game. You know, (Kai) Spears only attempts four, you know, in the game. Coming into the game, I mean, Fricks was seven for eight, you know, in the last game. And so from that perspective, our guys did a nice job. You get to play their percentages. But, you know, certainly there are areas where we can get better. A lot of it's related to pick and roll defense. But we like to have our guys back, and we want guys running into the seven-footers a lot. So we're willing to, you know, give up, you know, some of those harder twos at times. And if guys make them, then you kind of have to tip your cap. If it becomes a real problem, then you have to switch the coverage.”

On his thoughts of the decreasing attendance for basketball this year….

“I haven't noticed that. I mean, obviously, I've never coached here, so I'm not sure. We're thankful for all the fans who come to every game and support us. We really appreciate it. I mean, it's an imposing building when it gets really loud. We're going to need that throughout. We really appreciate, most importantly, the students coming. They're busy. 12 o'clock is an early game. And we had a 9 o'clock game the other night. That's a late game. And so they are factors that can send it one direction or another. I think our guys have done their part in trying to get out there and get in front of the fans and be a part of this community. We're thankful for all the fans that come to support us.”

On being confident in the Virginia press on Saturday and moving forward…

“Yeah, we need it to be a strong suit for us. The goal, again, is not to force turnovers. We were able to do that in the first half. They had 12 turnovers in the half, and some were up there and some were in the half court. But I do like the pressure, and I like the depth, going back to that first question that we have. We just got to stay with it and try to keep improving it. I think you can see the, you know, fruits of some of the labor, you know, that we've been putting in.

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