Everything From Ryan Odom After Virginia’s Victory Over Ohio State

The Virginia Cavaliers clinched a 70-66 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes tonight. Once again, it was another tight finish, but it was just enough for the Cavaliers to come out on top. They've extended their winning streak to six games, and they're now 22-3 overall. After the matchup, head coach Ryan Odom sat down with the media, alongside Dallin Hall and Malik Thomas, to share their thoughts on how tonight unfolded. Here's everything they had to say.

Odom: Opening Statement...

"I can't say enough good things about Ohio State and the game plan that they had tonight. It was just a dog fight. They got off to a great start here in Nashville, and we certainly appreciate being here in Nashville. Our guys have enjoyed the trip here and obviously now that we're able to win this game, enjoy it even more, of course. But, you know, I can't say enough good things about their coaches and coach Diebler and his staff and the players. They just battled, you know, they battled throughout that game. They got off to a great start. We were able to fight back there in the middle of that first half and get a lead, and then we lost the lead primarily to, you know, our ball handling. We had too many turnovers in that stretch. But I think the defense stepped up throughout the night and helped us secure the win. These two guys were great. Ugo was tremendous. Devin Tillis is even playing in the game. He walked in a boot because he twisted his ankle two days ago in practice and didn't practice at all after that, but Ethan did a great job with him, and he just showed a level of toughness and care for this team to get out there and play today, and he was really impactful. The offensive rebound, just his general energy and enthusiasm and positivity, you know, was huge for this group. But a very good win for us and a ton of respect for Ohio State."

Hall: On confidence when UVA was down in the second half...

"Yeah, I think for sure it gives this group experience together. We have a lot of experienced guys coming from different places, but to just be in those situations together and be able to gut it out, I think it's super valuable for us. Obviously, that's not a space we want to always be. We have some things we want to clean up, but it's a good experience for us going forward."

Hall: On what went well when closing out the game...

"Yeah, we made some adjustments defensively in the ball screen, and I think that frazzled them a little bit, but just this coaching staff and my teammates really pour into me with a lot of confidence and so I was a little up and down this game, but down the stretch, I just tried to stay present, make winning plays and I was surrounded by guys who were covering for me. You know, Ugo with some big-time blocks, all the guys were in the right spots. So I just tried to be present, tried to go for it. That's something Coach Odom is really big on: having the courage and confidence to go make winning plays. So, I attribute a lot of it just to the staff and my teammates, and then going for it."

Thomas: On containing Bruce Thornton...

"I think we did a good job of just forcing him to take tough twos, even though he made a lot of them. Our goal was to just continue to make shots hard for him, crowd him, give him different looks, whether that's bringing two on the ball or one-on-one or help and being in the gaps and just bothering him the best we can. So I think we did a great job. Even though he ended up with, you know, 28 points, it was a hard 28 points. I think our guys did a good job of just making everything hard for him."

Thomas: On what it's like to see UVA grow as a team throughout the season...

"I think it's been tremendous. We're a team that's deep. It can beanybody's night on any given night, and Ugo does an unbelievable job of protecting the rim for us, and just his aura he brings down there at the paint is just tremendous, and it helps us guard and it gives us a source of confidence to just pressure the ball and we know that we got backup when it comes to that paint. So it's been great."

Hall: Cont'd...

"I mean, it's super special. If you know him, you know he's an incredible person. But if you see him, like in the gym, he's always putting in extra time, and he's gone through a lot in his college career, and so to be where he is, to be having the success with this team, we really feel like we're a brotherhood with this team, and so we're just so happy for him. He deserves it. He works his tail off every day. He has a great attitude, and so that's the strength of this team. Like Malik was saying, each guy's ready to step up, and when they do, we're super happy for them."

Thomas: On if it feels different playing at a neutral site in a non-conference matchup...

"Yeah, anytime. Coach tapped on it before the game. Anytime we have a chance to represent the ACC, we have to do a great job doing that. And to represent Virginia, it's my first time playing in a non-conference game in the middle of conference, but it was fun. It was a great atmosphere. Shout out to Hoos Nation. They brought the energy for us; it was a great game."

Hall: On what he takes away from winning tonight...

"I would say, you know, defensively, just like executing some of the coverages, mixing up our ball screen coverages was super helpful. But ultimately, I think the biggest lesson is we have to be physical from the start, from the jump of the game, and we have to weather storms by staying together offensively. We got to move the ball, share it, and fight for really great shots. And then when it comes down to winning time, we just have to dig in on the fundamentals and the principles that we've focused on all summer since we first got to UVA."

Odom: On winning on the road and benefits he notices regarding confidence...

"Yeah, there's no question about it. To play in hostile environments in your conference on the road is always helpful, especially if you have success, and we've been able to find ways to win in a multitude of ways. This group is just pretty resilient. They stick together. They're very connected. I'm very confident that these guys will be connected long after Virginia. There's no question about it. This group is really tight, and I think that's a testament, you know, to their character, their families. It's also a testament to their individual character because, you know, they were willing to take a chance to come here in their first year and make the most of it. Every team has one life to live, and this particular team is living that life, you know, to the fullest, and you see a lot of smiles in there and a happy group. So, we just want to keep winning and keep enjoying the moment together, because being present is everything."

Odom: On adjustments made in the last 10 minutes...

"Yeah, we had to; he was going off, you know, Thornton was doing a great job. Coach D was putting him in some good spots, and he was going to try to take it home, you know, for him, and so we had to put two on the ball there and take a chance. Not something that we do all the time, but we certainly have it in our package and needed to do that in this situation. And I thought the guys did a really nice job of taking up for one another in that situation. And we practiced it the last two days just to have it. And you're going to face really good guards in our conference and certainly in the Big 10. And he's one of the best in the country. They do a good job of putting him in really good spots to help his team."

Odom: On Ugo being able to defend and block shots without fouling...

"He's just a lead at it. I mean, he's always been a lead at it. He's obviously playing more minutes now, so he's able to impact games in a better way. He's really comfortable and understands timing, how the distance away, you know, how far away he is from the player. He's just a legitimate weapon around the rim, and if you haven't played against him, once you do play against him and it's your first time, you can see it on film, but then it's another thing to actually get up against him. He's going to play basketball for a long time. He's a really good player and an even better person and a hard worker like Dallin said. So, I'm really excited for what's to come for him."

Odom: On assessing performances like tonight...

"We just have to keep digging games out. You know, I mean, I certainly want to play more efficiently. The turnovers are not something that is going to be good for us. We've got to make sure that we're taking care of the ball a little bit better. We had 19% going into halftime, and we talked about it at halftime. You know, that's just too much, especially if you're not forcing turnovers for the other team; they only had two at half. And so I thought the guys in spots, you know, we didn't turn it over the last however many. We had one turnover the last however many minutes of the game. That's a big key. They had several runouts because of our turnovers, and that really just hurts your defense and your chance to win. "

Odom: On Chance Mallory's contributions and his growth...

"He's elite. He's not a first-year, he's not a freshman anymore. He's just an elite player. It doesn't matter who he's playing against; he thinks he belongs, and he's ready to make key plays for his team to win. And he's very fortunate in that he's got some other veteran guards with him. It's the perfect situation. We need him to play, but he's also out there on the court with other veterans at the same time. And so eventually, he's going to be the veteran for us. I'm just really fortunate to coach him... he's on our team."

Odom: On putting two on the ball and what he worries about there...

"Yeah, I mean, I think three-point shooting, scrambled situations, the bigs getting behind, you know, at the rim and putting pressure on the rim. I mean, all the things that we all try to do on offense. We're trying to get two on the ball to create an advantage, and so there's a lot of different things that can happen in that regard, but I thought our guys did a nice job at the point of the screen, and then we were able to get out, you know, where we were unharmed."