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Winners and Losers From UVA’s Rampage Over Bucknell

The Cavaliers once again easily dispatched their guests
Xander Tilock|
Virginia Cavaliers guard Jurian Dixon fights for a shot against Bucknell.
Virginia Cavaliers guard Jurian Dixon fights for a shot against Bucknell. | Courtesy Virginia Athletics

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Virginia Cavaliers

The latest romp at John Paul Jones Arena was a good one for the Cavaliers. Virginia easily disposed of Bucknell, and several players got to play prominent roles off the bench. However, not all blowout wins are happy days for hopeful contributors off the bench. Many key starters still played bulk minutes.

Across the board, here are the biggest winners and losers from the Cavaliers' latest win:

WInner: Good team basketball

Virginia had a whopping 23 offensive rebounds. Of all the Cavaliers who played at least seven minutes, all of them had at least one offensive rebound except for Kalu Anya. For a team averaging 93 points per game (second in the ACC), rebounds on the offensive side are an easy ticket to points.

All five starters showcased crisp passing, a three-point stroke and a few high-quality defensive stops. Regardless of the opponent's quality, those are good signs. Particularly good to see ahead of the team's first true road game this Friday at Maryland in a hostile environment.

Loser: Silas Barksdale and Favor Ibe

In a game Virginia was projected to win by 30-plus, what better opportunity for young reserves to get involved? The thing is, that didn't happen. Barksdale and Ibe played the 11th and 12th most minutes of any Cavalier Tuesday night.

Barksdale was one of just four Cavaliers to not have a positive efficiency score. He will probably seldom see the floor in ACC play, if at all. That was already the case in each of the first few games.

Even though Virginia took a massive lead early in the game, the back of the bench didn't really benefit. Some players got extended playing time, but it wasn't the second-year and first-year with upside to boot.

Winner: Virginia's spot in the future rankings

A win is a win. But beyond that, the Cavaliers got a few others. No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Illinois both lost, which could open the door for Virginia to move up in the rankings. As far as external results go, the Cavaliers may have caught some breaks.

On another front, Virginia looks the part of a national juggernaut. It might be a few weeks (or well over a month) before this team loses its first game. If the Cavaliers can keep this up, they could earn their highest ranking since 2019 at some point before the first game of the new year.

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Xander Tilock
XANDER TILOCK

Xander Tilock serves as the lead editor for Virginia on SI. He previously spent four years as a Senior Writer/Sports Editor for The Cavalier Daily, where he authored the publication’s most articles since 2017 and was named Literary Writer of the Year in 2023. Xander has been referenced on ACC Network, Yahoo Sports, Sirius XM ACC Radio, UVA Today, The Virginian-Pilot, and dozens of other publications nationwide. Outside of journalistic endeavors, Xander graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia in 2026. He is also a proud owner of the Green Bay Packers — and for a final twist, you can find him acting, writing, directing, and producing films and plays. Follow Xander on X @xandertilock

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