Instant Takeaways From Virginia Basketball's Dominant Exhibition Win Over Richmond

Virginia had some hiccups early, but they handled Richond handily at home

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom reacts in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Virginia basketball was home tonight in Charlottesville for an exhibition matchup with the Richmond Spiders, and after a bit of a slow start to the game on offense, UVA took control and dominated with their defense.

Here are our instant takeaways for the night.

1. Starters dominate

The first half was not as clean as the second half, but UVA scored 43 points in the first half and shot 8-19 from three.

It was not one single player that was lighting it up from deep, but a host of players. Chance Mallory, Sam Lewis, Johann Grunloh, Martin Carrere (2-3), Nolan Adekunle, and Elijah Gertrude all hit a shot from deep and the offense was in a rhythm after the first 10 or so minutes of the game.

Mallory and Thijs De Ridder led the way for the Cavaliers, with Mallory scoring 12 points (all in the first half), and De Ridder scoring 12 points, with nine of them coming in the second half of the game. Grunloh did not have the most efficient scoring night, shooting just 3-9, but he also reeled in nine rebounds.

Adekunle had nine points and three rebounds against the Spiders.

UVA is expected to have one of the best starting fives in the ACC and in the country. That is going to be the backbone of their team this season and they flashed their potential tonight.

2. Defense was suffocating

Richmond had a decent start to the game on offense, but the Cavaliers tightened up on that end of the floor to really assert themselves and win the game handily.

Richmond would only shoot 25% in this game, including just a 5-23 mark from three. UVA was able to force 11 turnovers from in this game and scored 24 points off those turnovers. One of the marks of a good team is being able to force your opponent into mistakes and then make them pay for them and that is what UVA did.

Virginia had one of the best defenses in the ACC last season and I think they are on their way to having another.

3. Strong game for Elijah Gertrude

Elijah Gertrude is going to be counted on in a major bench role this season and he has responded well to that, including a nice performance tonight.

Gertrude finished the game scoring 11 points and shooting 4-7 from the field and 3-5 from three. He also pulled in four rebounds. If you want to nitpick his performance a little, he did commit five personal fouls.

I think Gertrude is one of the breakout candidates in the ACC and he showed why tonight.