Biggest Winners and Losers From UVA’s Huge Win Against No. 12 Arkansas

Virginia managed to thrive, even with its best player sitting on the bench

Virginia Cavaliers guard Chance Mallory battles Arkansas Razorbacks guard Jordan Smith Jr. | Courtesy Virginia Athletics

Virginia basketball is riding high after a dominant win over No. 12 Arkansas. The Cavaliers held a lead for over 85% of the game — announcing themselves as a true national contender.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from Virginia's victory:

Winner: Virginia's ceiling

Before the season, one of the Cavaliers' biggest concerns was about what would happen when the frontcourt gets in foul trouble. Sunday, Thijs De Ridder was the concern — he had two fouls in the game's first two minutes.

Virginia managed to thrive, even with its best player sitting on the bench. Coach Ryan Odom turned to Kalu Anya (who provided some defense and rebounding), while Johann Grunloh was able to play career-high minutes in regulation.

Another note — backup PG Jan Vide did not play until garbage time. The Cavaliers were able to ride the hot hand offensively, give more time to Elijah Gertrude and Jurian Dixon and run a nine-man rotation. This is a flexible team that can excel with varying lineups.

Arkansas Coach John Calipari, who has led teams to a total of six Final Fours, hinted that this team could be playing deep into the spring.

Final Four? Coach Cal could see it: pic.twitter.com/jPDo01kBi0

— Xander (@xandertilock) November 8, 2026

Loser: Favour Ibe and Jan Vide

Ibe only played a total of two minutes. Odom gave him a brief run in the first half to relieve Grunloh (and while De Ridder had a couple of fouls), but Ibe didn't see the court again until the final seconds of a blowout. It looks like Virginia's frontcourt will only consistent of De Ridder, Grunloh and Anya unless there is more serious foul trouble.

Odom will have to feed Ibe some minutes throughout the season to help his development, but in big games, the freshman will probably be glued to the bench.

Vide, however, is in a more restrictive situation. As a fourth-year, Vide is probably not an essential part of the long-term plan for the program. Vide does have valuable size, but that value is negated when more than Chance Mallory holds his own on defense like he has so far this season.

Vide's value should be as a passer — but Odom often passed on him and put Gertrude or Sam Lewis in at point guard. It looks like Vide is on the outside looking in on a nine-man rotation. If that ever expands, there could be a role for him, but he will need to prove himself as a shooter.

Winner: Nolan Adekunle

As the fifth starter, Adekunle's role is to play elite defense and hit catch-and-shoot threes. He wasn't doing the latter during his first two games stateside. Sunday, however, he showcased flashes of being the ceiling-raising wing this team didn't have last year.

Adekunle scored a career-best 13 points on 4-8 shooting (3-7 from three). He also added four rebounds, one assist and one steal. He was a valuable part of the effort to limit Jeremiah Wilkinson and Billy Richmond III.

If Odom trusts Adekunle to contribute offensively, he should be on the court for bulk minutes instead of ceding more and more time to Gertrude and Dixon.