How Elite Has Virginia Been On The Offensive Glass This Season?

Virginia has been superb in several key categories this year, like block per game as a team, assist to turnover ratio, defensive rebounds per game and more. There is one key area where they have been the best of the best, which is on the offensive glass.

The Hoos continue to lean on their elite offensive rebounding to continue to dominate opponents and place themselves as one of the best teams in the nation. The Hoos picked up their 20th win of the season and are now 9-2 in the ACC and sit in a good spot. Prior to the game against Syracuse, Virginia ranked No.9 in the country and No.1 in the ACC, averaging 14.23 offensive rebounds per game this season. It has been a staple of their success and why they can win a lot of games, especially if they don’t shoot the ball well.

On Saturday, the Cavaliers were superb again and surpassed their average of 14 offensive rebounds per game. Against Syracuse, the Hoos grabbed 17 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second-chance points. Virginia has two players with at least three offensive rebounds and four players with at least two offensive rebounds. The Hoos get it done with collective effort, which makes the process even easier. Their guards get heavily involved and make hustle plays and high-effort plays to help the team. Head coach Ryan Odom talked about how key it was.

"We just have to keep going. We encourage the guys every game that we go into, each team that we play has a body of work that they and stats that, you know, you try to hone in on. We just do what we do, and these guys get graded on it. They know, and they understand that it can be really impactful for our overall game and offense, in particular. I thought our guys were awesome at it against Pitt, and tonight we were at 30 in the first half. I'm not sure where it ended up, but it was certainly an important part of our overall attack,” said Odom.

Key players who are rebounding the basketball well are Ugonna Onyenso, Johnann Grünloh, and Thijs De Ridder. Their effort on the glass throughout the season has been critical. You can’t forget about the guards, either, who rebound at a high level. Chance Mallory, Dallin Hall, Malik Thomas, and Sam Lewis all contribute. The Hoos have a couple of big games coming up against Florida State and Ohio State, and will need their offensive rebounding to continue to flourish and give them more opportunities to get second chances. The Hoos wouldn’t be one of the top teams that sit atop the ACC and the nation without being elite in this category.

More Virginia Basketball News:

•Updated NET and KenPom Rankings For Virginia After Their Win Over Notre Dame

•Stock Report For Virginia Following Their Win Over Notre Dame: Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory Rising

•The Good, Bad and Ugly of Virginia’s Overtime Victory Against Notre Dame

•The Snowmagedden Plus/Minus Part III: Virginia Basketball Triumphs over Notre Dame