Everything Ryan Odom Said After Virginia's Victory Over MD Eastern Shore

The Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball program just clinched yet another victory, this time over MD Eastern by a final score of 84-60. UVA's junior guard Sam Lewis led the program with 15 points, ultimately paving the way for the Cavaliers. After the matchup, Ryan Odom sat down for a media appearance to unpack the game. Here is everything he had to say.

Opening statement...

"Certainly was not our best game overall. We did get off to a good start from three in the first half, but the second half started missing some easy ones around the rim as well, and, you know, that kind of hurt in preparation for this game. Our guys, you know, are going through the scouting report and stuff. We, you know, communicated to the guys that it was going to be a slower game, and they played much faster than we were anticipating, and so we had to adjust to that initially. I thought they did a nice job of attacking the press initially and throwing it up the court and trying to get some quick advantages. They clearly, you know, focus on getting the ball inside and had some success doing that as well, and they substitute quite a bit, and so there were a lot of different guys coming in and out throughout the game that our guys had to adjust to. But all in all, I thought our guys did a nice job of finishing the game out."

On if he thought this would be a good three-point shooting team...

"Yeah, definitely a big priority. I mean, a lot of these guys had shown that they could do it at other places, and certainly that was part of the equation. It's putting together a collection of players that could fit together and certainly shooting provides a lot of space and helps us, you know, utilize that open space to be able to get drives to the basket. And when you have two big guys that can shoot as well, that can be really helpful."

On if he has a sense of who everybody is...

"Yeah, I think we're getting there. Certainly, you know, we have to actually see them in some high-pressure situations, too. And I think we had last week, you know, more the Dayton game, you know, than necessarily the Texas game. You begin to get a feel for, you know, who can rise up at key times and, you know, we haven't been in that tight of a game, you know, at this point. So, I think you learn from every opportunity that we get out on the court, but I think guys have a good feel of, you know, who's really good at what and where we need them to be."

On what he's seen from Sam Lewis...

"I think that's an example of just overall our team is passing the ball better. I just told him in there like this could be one of the best passing teams that I've ever coached, and we have ever coached and we have a chance to do that. When it's easy to see when we get away from it, all of a sudden, we don't have as much success. And so we want to keep our guys in that mindset, and Sam certainly is in that mindset right now of hitting the open guy, and it always helps when guys are knocking down shots."

On if he's figured out the identity of this team...

"I mean, I think offensively, you know, we pass. I think that's the biggest thing right now, and we have multiple options, guys that can shoot, guys that can drive. I think we're getting more stingy on defense, you know, I think that's an area that we're continuing to try to improve each and every practice and game. And the guys understand that we have to have both to be successful in our conference. We're going to be facing some stiff competition, and really good individual players, who are all well coached and, you know, we're going to have to step up, you know, and as we get to conference play."

On what he's seen from Chance Mallory defensively and what allows him to have quickness...

"I mean, he just imposes his will, you know, he's fast, he's strong. He has great anticipation ability. He understands where it's, you know, where it might go, and he's hard to, you know, just get on a side because he's always moving and, you know, I think he's just got a knack for it."

On De Ridder's aggressiveness and mentality...

"I think we ran a couple of plays, but you know, he did some of it on his own, too, with space to work with, and he got to the basket in a very aggressive way, but I think he was discouraged after halftime. You know, he gets in foul trouble and doesn't play as much as he typically does, shy a few minutes, and so I think he was motivated to play well."

On being aggressive without getting into foul trouble...

"Certainly an area where we can improve. We need to force more turnovers. We need to not foul quite as much, and we need a defensive rebound. Those three things are areas that, you know, we're constantly working on. And a lot of that has to do with positioning and just being solid. I thought we had some instances tonight where we did a nice job."

On handling a long break with practice...

"I'm excited about it, and the guys are excited about it as well. Well, I mean, the exams, they're in their exams or starting their exams now, and obviously that takes a bit of their time, the bulk of their time, and so it's a release for them to come to the gym. And so the focus for us right now is to improve as many areas as possible on both sides of the ball. And we're going to utilize the days, you know, that way"

On if Devin Tillis is where he wants him to be...

"I mean, we all can get better, and I think Devin's a really good player and calming presence. I didn't play him as much at the three today. Typically, he's getting some minutes, you know, there as well. I played him a little bit and so I think that's something certainly that we're going to continue to do, you know, going forward. He's not just going to sub for the test. So, Devin is a really important player for us."