Key Takeaways From Virginia's 70–66 Victory Over Ohio State

The Virginia Cavaliers have extended their winning streak once again.

Virginia Cavaliers guard Chance Mallory and head coach Ryan Odom | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers entered tonight's matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes intending to secure their sixth consecutive win. Not only did they clinch a 70-66 victory, but Ryan Odom also became the winningest first-year coach in Virginia history. The Cavaliers are now carrying a shocking 22-3 overall record and 10-2 in conference play.

History was made tonight, and the Cavaliers played right up until the end. With the game having wrapped up, here are three key takeaways from Virginia's nail-biting matchup with the Buckeyes.

UVA Allows Another Tight Game

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

This has become the theme of Virginia's games—tight finishes. Although this has generally played out well for the Cavaliers, this is not going to cut it during their upcoming matchups. At halftime, UVA and Ohio State were tied 37-37. The close battle continued right up until the end of the game. By the end, Virginia just barely edged out the Buckeyes 70-66. A win is a win, but at this point in the season, the Cavaliers need to rally early on.

As Odom stated during his press conference earlier this week, "... We certainly have to play better than we're playing right now if we want to challenge the best teams in the country.

Turnover Troubles Continue

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Taison Chatman and Virginia Cavaliers guard Dallin Hall | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Throughout much of their season, the Cavaliers have had difficulty with turnovers. Tonight, they recorded 12, and the Buckeyes capitalized on this opportunity by scoring 16 points off these turnovers. During UVA's last matchup against Florida State, UVA also struggled in this area, and they don't appear to be seeing a significant amount of improvement quite yet.

Fending Off Bruce Thornton Was Tough

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Going into this meeting, the Cavaliers knew that Ohio State's Bryce Thornton would be their biggest threat on the court. Tonight, he logged 28 points, four rebounds and one assist, while shooting 57.1% from the floor. While this wasn't a career-high, UVA had a tough time staying on top of him. Dallin Hall played a major role in holding him off, but overall, this was a grueling battle for Virginia.

The Cavaliers' next matchup is scheduled for Feb. 18 at 9 p.m. ET against Georgia Tech. From there, they will be gearing up to face Miami, NC State and Duke. This will undoubtedly be their most grueling stretch of the season, and each one will be a conference game. UVA must find a way to pull ahead early, rather than allowing such tight finales.