The Good, Bad and Ugly of Virginia Basketball’s Victory Over Pittsburgh

The Virginia Cavaliers defeated Pittsburgh, but there are still areas that need improvement.

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

Last night's matchup between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Pittsburgh Panthers wasn't nearly as intense as Virginia's previous games have been. Rather than playing a down-to-the-wire game, the Cavaliers pulled off a fairly comfortable 67-47 victory.

Now riding 19-3 overall and 8-2 in conference play, UVA is looking quite steady in the ACC. Of course, they have yet to face their most daunting opponents of the month, but this was a phenomenal start to what is gearing up to be a grueling stretch of basketball.

However, that doesn't mean that this game was without its flaws. Having said that, let's take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the Virginia-Pittsburgh meeting.

The Good

Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

Rather than kicking it off in the second half, Virginia took a noteworthy lead in the first. But not only were they ahead in the first, but with the help of Malik Thomas, UVA was able to pull ahead right off the bat, posting five points and putting Virginia on the board.

The Cavaliers haven't been known to make quick starts this season, inevitably resulting in nail-biting finishes. With a tough schedule ahead, Virginia must continue taking these early leads and maintaining them. Not to mention, keeping up their momentum of defense will certainly play out in their favor.

The Bad

Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Despite coming out on top, the Cavaliers dragged their feet a bit more than usual. The pass game was more limited, and in general, the ball wasn't moving at the pace it normally does. This was evident throughout the night, but it became so apparent that head coach Ryan Odom addressed it during the second half. As he stated during his postgame press conference:

"Yeah, I mean, we were just kind of standing around, you know, not passing the ball like we typically do, not moving our bodies on offense. The press was slowing us down. We weren't executing against the press. I mean, we didn't turn it over against the press, but it just clearly slowed us. When we would get defensive rebounds, we weren't pushing the ball like we typically do. And so, clearly [those are] areas that we've got to attack and get better at."

The Ugly

Virginia Cavaliers guard Jacari White | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Cavaliers appeared to sputter on offense tonight. Their defense was rather solid, which is what propelled the program forward on the court, but this was not a strong night on offense for Virginia. The Hoos must see a turnaround before they enter their next matchup against Syracuse on Feb. 7.

"We just have to get a little bit better. I mean, you're going to have [times] during the season where it doesn't go in as much as you want," Odom stated. "And I thought Jacari got some good looks tonight. And certainly there were some at the end that, you know, he was having to rush a little bit to to to get off, but for the most part, pleased with the attempts that we took."