Everything Ryan Odom Said After No. 23 Virginia Defeated Stanford Today

The Virginia Cavaliers added another win to their already impressive record today after defeating Stanford 70-55. Now, the Cavaliers are 14-2 overall and are 3-1 in the ACC. To date, their only losses this season have been to Butler and Virginia Tech. Following the matchup, head coach Ryan Odom sat down with the media to share his thoughts on today's game. Here's everything he had to say.

Opening Statement...

"Great win for us, you know, we've been really, and our staff and players have been really impressed with Stanford, and they're extremely well-coached. Coach Smith does a great job, always has. And have a dynamite player, a young player, one of the best in the country, no doubt. But they have really good talent overall, and they play really hard and play really well together. I thought our guys did a nice job in the first half, especially the end of the first half, which gave us a little bit of a cushion going into halftime. And again, out of halftime, our guys did a nice job defensively on a night where our offense wasn't great down the stretch. We had one little spurt there that helped us separate, but for the most part, our guys did a really nice job on the defensive end. So proud of that and seeing some improvements there."

On the key to UVA's defensive effort against Okorie...

"You know, we talked all week about guarding him with five guys and not one. Trying to keep him off balance and pick-and-roll coverages. You know, certainly, he demands a double team at times. Sometimes getting them inside. We had to test it to see, you know, with our bigs to see if he could get in there and finish over them some or kind of how that would play out. And so we were prepared to do both. And we kind of stuck with our main pick-and-roll coverage."

On if he planned to have a smaller rotation...

"Yeah, I mean, I think we stopped right at Devin, you know, probably. So, we still had four guys,you know, coming off the bench there, but you know, it's part of the game, and we have to make those decisions and, you know, tonight was one of those nights where you know, it is what it is."

On the shock clock violations...

"The urgency, you know, understanding how we're trying to play defense. Just the connectivity. I think communication is a big part of it; the efforts are there. The understanding that, you know, we can get teams deeper into the clock. The press certainly can help with that, and I thought we got a couple of steals, you know, in the first half, which helped us and got us going a little bit, and you know, I think finishing with a rebound. I mean, that's one of the keys is like getting the ball, you know, at the end. You can force all the misses you want, but if you can't rebound the basketball, well, you didn't play the defense that you set out to play. And I think our guys are understanding of the importance of each facet, you know, of a possession."

On what allows UVA to pull ahead in the second half and maintain a lead...

"Yeah, I think certainly the offense, but it's more the defense. I think in this particular game, Stanford is excellent on defense. They knock balls away, and they get turnovers on 20% of their possessions. So, we knew taking care of the ball was going to be critical tonight. And our guys did that certainly at the beginning of the second half to finish with nine turnovers, you know, was something that we had set out to do, and you know, we had a couple there at the end that none of us liked, but you know, that's part of the game. And I thought our guys did a nice job of taking care of the ball. And I think when we do that, we can set our defense. You know, we're going to get good shots and live to fight another day."

On UVA's surge of momentum before halftime...

"Yeah, I think the execution has been there at times. We kind of our guys have done a good job. They know what we're trying to run at the end, depending on is it two-for-one situation or what, but I think in general it was more about that there was 2:55 or something like that left on the clock, and maybe we were a dead-ball situation or a timeout. I can't exactly remember, but you know, we talked about, you know, just putting our arms around the game and the end of this half, like let's try to win the end of this half. And every time the guys come over to a timeout, we remind them, okay, we won that one by, you know, two points, we won that one by three points. And maybe it doesn't feel great. It wasn't a 100 run, but it was like those add up. And certainly, you know, most coaches and most teams are trying to do that, and this particular team is pretty; they understand, you know, the importance of playing every possession like it's your last."

On his motivation to play well...

"There's no question about it. You know, I love Coach Jones, one of my best friends in the world, a mentor for me, and obviously worked for him at American University. But it all started when I was a little youngster. He was good to me when I was here as an 8 to whatever 15-year-old. And, you know, we would sit on the sidelines and in between the practices sometimes, and just dribble between our legs, and he would chat with me as a youngster. And to be friends now at this stage in our lives is really cool. To see him and his players, you know, be honored like that. And this is not the only team that we're going to do it for. There are so many great basketball teams that have played here under different eras, different coaches. Obviously, Coach Bennett, we're excited to honor those guys and to have had all of the guys back, you know, except for three that were working. You know, Cory, Jay, Willie, and Jamal all had had their own things going on, or else they would have been back, too. And everybody else was here, so that was really special. And to be around, have them at shoot around today, and have that crowd there, and kind of see how we do things, and just to be a part of it. We had a good reception at the Rotunda last night, you know, with everyone, and it was just special to be in that room with people who care about this place and certainly care about this program."

On defensive discipline and fouling...

"Yeah, we're hopefully we're getting a little bit better at it. The message is getting there. You know, discipline, I think a lot of it comes down to the personnel that you're playing against, and what do they like to do? Are they a team that likes to fake or a guy that likes to really fake a lot? You know, they can cause problems for you if you're undisciplined and you leave your feet. I think our guys are getting a little bit better at understanding how to play the personnel."

On Thijs De Ridder...

"Yeah, I thought he was awesome. Yeah, I mean, he took what the defense gave to him. You know, when he starts driving to the basket, it's like I'm looking at him like, man, he is athletic, he's strong, you know, he's physical getting in there. It's it's got to be hard for the opponent to guard that. I was most proud of his post-ups in the second half. They didn't come double, and he did a nice job of just getting to work his way to the basket. Got a bucket, got fouled, and you know, that's certainly you know what we need him to do."

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