The One Area That Could Help No.11 Virginia Upset No.1 Duke On Saturday

Virginia has been stellar in a lot of areas this season, whether you look at efficiency beyond the arc, defending at a high level, blocking shots, or even bench points. When you are playing the No.1 team in the country on the road, you need a lot to go your way to upset a formidable opponent. It won’t be easy for the Hoos, who last defeated a No.1 team back in 1986 against North Carolina.

The one area that can help the Cavaliers pull off the upset is on the offensive glass. The Cavaliers are No.14 in the country, averaging 13.75 points per game. The Hoos do it with a mix of their frontcourt that includes Ugonna Onyenso, Thijs De Ridder, and Johann Grunloh. However, it is not just them but also their guards who gang rebound and chase after the loose ball and keep plays alive. Malik Thomas, Jacari White, Chance Mallory, Sam Lewis, and Dallin Hall are all equipped with this mindset. To beat a really good team in Duke, you need multiple cracks at it to set up open shots. That bodes in the favor of Virginia, which set a new record against NC State, recording 18 games with 10 or more made threes. The glass will only help Virginia in that regard and keep possessions.

The Cavaliers also are the No.1 team in the ACC in that category. The next highest is Miami, which ranks No.56 in the offensive rebound area. It’s been a strength of the Cavaliers all season, and they have a chance to wear out one of the top players in the country in Cameron Boozer. Head coach Ryan Odom talks about how vital the glass has been.

"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.

If you see Virginia win the offensive glass and rebounding battle, more often than not, that means they emerged victorious from the game. Virginia will have their work cut out, but it gets to show the entire college basketball world they are a true threat in the NCAA tournament.