The Good, Bad and Ugly of No. 15 Virginia’s Victory Over Florida State

The Virginia Cavaliers pulled off another tight win last night.

Virginia Cavaliers guard Dallin Hall | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers pulled away with a gripping 61-58 victory over Florida State last night, extending their winning streak to five games. Now, UVA is riding 21-3 overall and 10-2 in conference play. The Cavaliers are slowly inching their way toward the top of the ACC standings, but they must continue on this trajectory if they want to become true contenders.

While Virginia prepares for their next matchup on Feb. 14 against Ohio State, let's take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly elements to their victory over the Seminoles.

The Good

Virginia Cavaliers guard Jacari White | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Regardless of mistakes made on the court by the Cavaliers, they added another win to their resume this season. Jacari White was a major contributing factor last night, ultimately leading UVA with 19 points. Along the way, he logged for rebounds and two assists, shooting 63.6% from the floor. His return has undoubtedly been beneficial for Virginia, and it's proving to be true in each passing game. As head coach Ryan Odom noted during his postgame press conference:

"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."

The Bad

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

UVA found itself in a close battle once again. The score remained incredibly close throughout the night, and much of that can be attributed to Florida State's Robert McCray V and Lajae Jones. McCray V led the Seminoles with four assists, and posted 20 points and four rebounds while shooting 37.5% from the floor. But Jones was the true star of the show after leading both programs in points (21) and rebounds (13). As expected, the Cavaliers experienced difficulty keeping this duo under control.

The Ugly

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

Virginia currently averages 10.8 turnovers per game, but last night, they posted 14 turnovers without wasting much time. Of course, the Seminoles posted 12 points off those turnovers, which didn't help the Cavaliers navigate an already tight game. Except for their meeting with Syracuse over the weekend, Virginia has become quite familiar with narrow victories. As Odom stated:

"... We turned the ball over too much, but it was one of those gritty games where we were able to just kind of hang in there and figure it out and find the way at the end. Certainly, our defense kept us in it. Our offense left a lot to be desired."