UVA’s Stock Report After Win vs. Florida State: Jacari White, Ugonna Onyenso Climb

Three Cavaliers saw their stock rise after defeating Florida State last night.

Virginia Cavaliers guard Jacari White | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers' 61-58 victory over the Florida State Seminoles was uncomfortably close, but that's to be expected of the Cavaliers at this point. Each victory brings UVA one step closer to a solid run in the NCAA Tournament, but that will largely depend on its core players, who continue to lead the program to victory.

During yesterday's matchup against the Seminoles, several Cavaliers saw their stock rise. This trio in particular will be key in Virginia's postseason contention.

Jacari White

Virginia Cavaliers guard Jacari White | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Jacari White is finally returning to his pre-injury abilities. While facing Florida State, he logged 19 points, four rebounds and two assists, while shooting 63.6% from the floor. He wrapped up the game as the only player from UVA to score in the double digits. The 6'3" guard is known for thrilling fans with his stunning three-pointers and efficiency on the court. During a postgame media appearance, head coach Ryan Odom stated:

"We're just trying to limit the ball handling as much as we can because it's hard for him, certainly the left hand, and I think he's probably still a couple weeks away from it being off of there where he can be himself. But he was tremendous today. The play in transition where he attacks with his right hand and gets to the rim, that's old Jacari. His offensive rebound was huge. The ball kind of kept finding him, and he kept delivering."

Thijs De Ridder

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Freshman Thijs De Ridder is still working on bouncing back to his full potential on offense after experiencing a dip in performance. Once again, this was far from his most productive game, but his nine points, nine rebounds and one assist helped push Virginia over the Seminoles last night. De Ridder has shown what he's capable of, but he's been sputtering as of late.

"He always thinks he's okay, and sometimes he's not okay," Odom candidly stated. "We have to remind him, hey, you, we need to get you back to being okay..."

Ugonna Onyenso

Virginia Cavaliers center Ugonna Onyenso and Florida State Seminoles forward Alex Steen | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Senior Ugonna Onyenso finished the night with four points and seven rebounds. As in the case of De Ridder, this was by no means a career high for him, but he's still among the top three rebounders for Virginia. His dominance of defense continues to be one of his strongest assets.

"Yeah, I mean, at the rim, the late contest on some of those threes, just him being there when others drive. Our switching was much better down the last 10 minutes. We were able to keep a body and a chest in front, much like they were doing to us early in the game. We couldn't get in there at all, and so I thought he did a great job there. We had to take him out because they went small when they were searching for the three there, and then with four seconds to go, it made sense to put him on the ball there to disrupt..."