Instant Takeaways From Virginia’s Breezy Win Against Bucknell

No. 6 Virginia is now 4-0. The Cavaliers won their fourth straight game in dominant fashion, this time dispatching Bucknell with ease.

Here are instant takeaways from the 95-61 win at John Paul Jones Arena:

Nolan Adekunle has arrived

The German wing scored just eight points in his first two games as a Cavalier. Then he exploded.

Adekunle scored 14 points against then-No. 12 Arkansas, and followed that up with 14 points against the Bison. He started by shooting a perfect 4-4 from the field. Adekunle also provided stingy defense and some productive passing.

Defense begets offense

In all four games so far this year, Virginia has forced at least 10 turnovers. This defense fuels offense. Virginia's unique blend of size, speed, length and shooting make an opponent's turnover a near-guarantee to turn into points.

There were a few open looks from deep for Bucknell — probably more than Coach Ryan Odom would have liked — but the team defense was generally strong.

Elijah Gertrude has earned the No. 2 point guard job

Gertrude already looks to have established himself as Virginia's sixth man. However, it won't just be at the two-spot. Gertrude contributed a career-high seven assists tonight — and a career-high three offensive rebounds. He was everywhere.

Gertrude played more minutes in meaningful time (before the final seven minutes) than Jan Vide again. Vide can still have a role, but Gertrude clearly comes first.

Martin Carrere continues to ascend, slowly and surely

In 16 minutes, Carrere produced seven points, six rebounds, two assists and a block. Defensively, he looked agile and twitchy. He looks like a mainstay as part of the bench rotation right now. That's a positive sign for his development.

Johann Grunloh continues to dazzle

In just 21 minutes, Grunloh had 13 points, nine rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block. He was a defensive nightmare for Bucknell. Grunloh might just be Virginia's most valuable player so far this season. There certainly aren't a whole lot of Johann Grunlohs out there. In fact, he and Favour Ibe are one of just 16 center duos in which both players are at least seven feet tall, according to the broadcast team.

Chance Mallory was fantastic, but once again, turnovers were a concern

Mallory had six turnovers against Drexel. Then he had four tonight. Some of them were just plain aggressive — which is fine for a player who contributed 16 points, six assists and three steals — but regardless, the Cavaliers would greatly benefit from some more control by Mallory.

Despite the turnovers, however, he led all players with a +/- score of 25.

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