Key Takeaways From Virginia 70-55 Win Over Stanford

Virginia defended its home court on Saturday afternoon thanks to a stingy defense that didn't leave any room for the Cardinals to get going. The Hoos used its defense to fuel its offense to shut down Stanford to win its 14th game of the year. Let's take a look at what stood out the most in the win.

1. Virginia continues to show that they are a complete team in the ACC

Virginia will have a tough three-game stretch coming up against ranked opponents, which will reveal even more, but they really are a complete team. The players complement each other well and fit this Ryan Odom scheme. Usually, the offense for the Hoos carries the team, but their defense was a key piece in helping them win the game. Virginia shot just 45% from the field and 27% from three, but that didn’t matter. They forced 13 turnovers, which led to 16 points. They also dominated the paint with a 36-22 advantage. The defense for Virginia didn’t allow a single scorer to have double-figures in the second half. The ball pressure and attention to detail were on full display. When you can lean on your defense while the offense is struggling, it is a good sign, especially if you are trying to make an NCAA tournament. Your offense is not always going to be on, so you will need something else to lean on. The Cavaleirs have that.

2. Virginia's second-half defense was on another level

At one point in the second half, Virginia went 2-15 with just five points and couldn’t buy a bucket about midway through the half. The Cavaliers did a great job of not fouling and forcing the Cardinals into tough shots. Their rebounding was also key as they didn’t let Stanford crash the glass to get second-chance opportunities to get back into the game. It was a great effort, and they limited Stanford to 21 points on 6-31 shooting. No players had over five points in the second half for Stanford, which is a testament to how good the defense was.

"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."

3. Virginia limits Ebuka Okorie

Okorie came in as one of the best freshmen in the conference and was playing at a high level. He was averaging an impressive 22.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. In the first half, Okorie found his groove towards the end of the half after a slow start. Finishing with 14 points despite 5-13 shooting from the floor. The second half was a completely different story as the Cavaliers held him to 0-7 shooting and zero points. It was a stellar defensive effort as the Cavaliers shut down Stanford’s top scorer.

"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,” said Odom.

4. Thijs De Ridder Dominates

De Ridder couldn’t be stopped by the Cardinals on Saturday. He was an efficient 8-11 from the floor, finishing with 22 points. The best part about De Ridder is that it seems so natural to him and that he plays within the scheme of the offense. He isn’t forcing shots and steadily calling for the ball, but taking whatever the defense gives him. His post up game is probably the most underrated because he can go against practically anyone and get a bucket and finish through traffic. He was a perfect 5-5 from the free throw and continued to put pressure on the Cardinals interior defense, which had no answer for him.

"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,” said Odom.

5. Ugonna Onyenso with another stellar defensive game

Part of the reason that Virginia was able to come out on top and limit the Stanford offense was the rim protection they had from Onyenso. On Saturday, he recorded his sixth game of the season with 4+ blocks. Onyenso finished with five blocks and never let the Cardinals get good looks when they tried to penetrate the paint. Onyenso got four of his blocks in the second half. His offensive numbers will never look gaudy, but his ability to defend and grab rebounds and lock down the paint makes him an asset for the Cavaliers, especially when either Johann Grünloh or De Ridder need to come out of the game. Coach Odom can lean on Onyenso to provide the defensive intensity and carry the team on that end of the floor.

More Virginia Basketball News:

•The Maryland Plus/Minus: Virginia Runs Away from the Terps

•Everything Ryan Odom Said After Virginia Basketball’s Victory Over Maryland