Sure but Iâd also argue we looked worse than them even though we won. Our shot quality was definitely worse. And again, they are hovering around 50 in most of the preseason rankings. It just wasnât a pretty game.
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Hell yeah
Couldnât watch but reading through I thought weâd have played terrible. Finding out we âwonâ is crazy.
winning with bad shot quality means our players are good at least?
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Box score here: https://storage.googleapis.com/virginiasports-com/2025/10/UVA-vs.-Villanova-Box-Score.pdf
Eli with 2 more mins than Lewis 
Also our defensive rebounding was maybe not horrid, Nova had a 33% offensive rebounding rate, they just missed a shit ton of shots. We had a 38% OReb rate.
About half our shots were from 3.
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3 man weave said it: number of the season will be points in the paint.
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Yeah weâve got the horses on offense. No question. Game ended poorly + rough defense+ you see the offensive talent and just think it should be easier.
the big question like others have said is what it will look like when guys can feel out their roles and they know how to play with each other. How much of that can happen in season and what does that give to our ceiling?
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Will say that Matt Hodge from Nova impressed me. Can see why we recruited him out of HS, good size and can stretch the floor.
I also think Nova ends up being a solid defensive team, both because thatâs always been Willardâs identity as a coach and also because they have some solid size and athleticism 1-4. They were really amping up the pressure on and off the ball in the final ten minutes of this one.
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In a game where we lead by 10+ multiple times, Chance and Dallin both with -1 +/- 
(Jacari -5 but we ignore those cause his 3pt shots are fun)
But room for improvement!. Chance getting more acclimated and Dallin Hall healing from whatever ails him and understanding his teammates more.
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How does that math even work out? Was it ever the case that one of them wasnât on the floor?
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We look better than UNC. (BYU I donât think is that good right now, they lost to Nebraska last week in their first exhibition game).
Very sloppy like us and more athletic than us but nowhere near the 3pt shooting we have. And outside Vaseer no skill in the paint.
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I just got home, and am not going to read 350 posts, but I didnât observe Dallin Hall getting to know his teammates more. I watched him miss wide open teammates multiple times. There was one play where De Ridder had a massive mismatch in the paint, and has his hand in the air, screaming for the ball, and Hall missed him. I think I embarrassed my friend because I was screaming, âthrow him the ball!â II think he made one layup, then passed on several wide-open shots. I realize he is pass first, but when he is standing all by himself behind the 3-pt. line SHOOT THE BALL!
Chance played with more confidence, is a better shooter, and doesnât hesitate when he should.
There are more important things to pick on, but I watched him and was not impressed. Donât get me wrongâŚI WANT Hall to succeed, and two exhibition games certainly donât give us a full picture, by any stretch. But, based solely on what I watched just tonight, I would prefer it if Chance started. Just my opinion.
P.S. Jacari White is really fast and skilled; he is going to be very good for us.
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I agree about Hall but thought what you were describing afflicted everyone. Dudes didnât look comfortable knowing where to pass in general - things just looked stilted and awkward, which seemed like a function of the newness. Chance also had a few very bad turnovers which seems like early game jitters in front of family.
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I agree. There was hesitation and difficulty connecting, which we all hope will get worked out sooner rather than later.
I havenât seen the specifics regarding points off turnovers â though it had to be really bad â and I think Chance was a small part of it. I mean, there was a play down the stretch when Hall couldnât break the press and turned it over in the backcourt, leading to a layup. So, I am not sure letting Chance make some early freshmen mistakes is necessarily worse.
Anyway, I am picking on Hall, I suppose. I hope he proves me wrong because I would rather have effective, veteran leadership at the point.
Was there tonight. So great to be back playing basketball! Team is fun to watch. Lots of work ahead.
By the end of the season, I predict our starting 5 will be Mallory, White, Thomas, DeRidder and GrĂźnloh with Eli coming on as sixth man. Ugo was great and weâre gonna be great at the 5.
Hall being under the weather would actually be some welcome news as I feel he will have challenges against ACC PGs.
Lewis totally disappointing.
Tillis outmatched athletically, not seeing it for him. Will be a problem when DeRidder gets in foul trouble.
GO HOOS!!!
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at how Odom reacted to the Chance Q. Seems happy with him
Also, Odom complaining about the same things everyone else is:
- Switch defense âleft a lot to be desiredâ
- Need better box outs
- Ball got stagnant at times
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Maybe that IS his new UVA catch phrase. Heâll post that after every Virginia game
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I only speed watched the replay. Mostly excited for Gertrude. He looks great. If he can just establish himself this season and get through without a major setback, I still think heâs a star in the years ahead. And Chance, gonna be a lot of fun watching him for the next 4 years. Love that Odom seems to trust him already with the A team.
Thatâs basically what matters to me this year, those two. Itâs a solid team, hopefully theyâll keep getting better and make it interesting come the postseason. Itâs just still hard for me to get too worked up over the 1-year guys.
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