Everything From Ryan Odom After Virginia's Dominant Win Over Georgia Tech

There was no doubt about who was the better team in Atlanta tonight.

The Cavaliers jumped on Georgia Tech early, led by 32 points at halftime, and then cruised to victory, It was the seventh straight win for UVA and improved their overall record to 23-3 ahead of their big home matchup against Miami on Saturday.

After the game, Virginia head coach Ryan Odom spoke with the media and here is everything that he had to say.

Opening Statement...

"Yeah, proud of the guys and their the way that they started the game. I think obviously that was the key the first half for us. uh Offensively, our guys had much more trust into our offense today. Whether it was after a miss or after a make, but our guys did a nice job is something we've been working.

And talking about and showing film on. Just trying to get more aggressive and get the ball up the court a little bit faster than we've been doing it recently. oh credit to our guys for just playing really tough defense and fighting and being ready to play. oh Any road win in our conference is like gold. And certainly, we've only got one more road game to go in conference play.

Just really proud of the overall effort. Certainly, there are some individual performances. Tess played more like himself. Dallin got the first double-double of his career. Some really, really great contributions from our bench, uh, and just overall play."

1. On wanting to get out to a fast start...

"Yeah, the goal is to play 40 minutes and regardless of how you start, we always want to start well. And I thought our guys did a nice job of putting the pressure on pretty quickly. And it helps when you make shots. We made some shots early in the game and uh saw the ball go in the basket and then. The next group comes in and feels it as well. But most importantly, the defense was really strong."

2. On playing with a big lead...

"Yeah, I think that we did well in certain moments and then we had some where we turned the ball over too much and we were too careless. But you have to credit Georgia Tech, didn't quit playing. were aggressive on defense and knocked some balls away and their pressure bothered us. And even in the half court, we were a little bit rushed"

3. On getting out in transition...

"Yeah, we're just trying to play a little bit faster, getting back to earlier in the season. And as you get into conference play, things tend to slow down a little bit and can get really tight. And we certainly had our fair share of tight games recently. And you have to try to find ways to get easy baskets in conference play. Our transition can be a weapon if we're willing to use it. And tonight our guys did a nice job and some of it was defense to offense. It was a steal, it was a deflection, and then we were able to get ahead."

4. On Thijs de Ridder shooting with his left hand...

"Yeah, I think he did. Yeah, think he's comfortable driving to his left. He's comfortable driving to his right. The key for him is just the pace and having a little bit more nuance to it, where he can create some fouls, getting to the basket. But I thought he did a nice job tonight of taking what was given to him and really stretching out and getting to the rim."

5. On the defense...

"Yeah, I our defense is where our identity sits and where we want it to sit. It's really important to us. I think the guys understand they have to play with a sense of urgency on that side of the ball. We have two shot blockers back there, so it allows our guards to be able to get out. I think where we've improved is our gap protection is much better, and we've got to stay with that. We missed some blockouts in that second half. Where we've been pretty good with that in the last seven games. And we've got to make sure we stick with that."

6. On what he has learned about his team from their road tests...

"Yeah, we've seen a lot of different styles, pressure situations. Certainly, these guys have some shared experience now; anytime you can go into somebody else's home court and come out with a win. It's a huge plus, and we've been very fortunate this year to do that. We have a ton of respect for everybody in our conference and by no means can we relax now because we're gonna have four of however many at home. We've got to play well regardless of where we're playing, whether it's home or on the road, and we have some tough ones coming."

7. On if he talks to his team about NCAA Tournament seeding...

"Yeah, I we want to play in the NCAA tournament. I think that's clear. We want to do that. And we want to get as high a seat as we can. But the focus right now is not anywhere near the NCAA tournament. It's all in the regular season and the ACC regular season and then the conference tournament. And then the NCAA tournament will come after that. If you start getting ahead of yourself, the way you control it is with your play on the court. And so if we start talking about all that kind of stuff, well it distracts from what the job is and that's to get the job done inside the lines."