On Saturday afternoon, the Virignia Cavaliers basketball team took home a 104-78 victory over the Marshall Thundering Herd to move to 4-0 on the year. With this victory, Virginia has now surpassed the 80-point total in all four of their games, surpassed 90 in two of them, and scored 100+ for the first time since 2018 when it beat the, stop me when this sounds familiar, Marshall Thundering Herd.
The win was very much a team effort for the ‘Hoos as Ryan Odom had nine guys that played ten plus minutes, and eight of them scored at least five points. Thijs De Ridder led all scorers with 23 points, Dallin Hall (3-4) and Malik Thomas (4-5) both got hot from three, scoring 18 each, and Johann Grunloh was a presence in the paint with 16 points and added three more blocks to his season total.
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We were on the baseline, in the stands, and everywhere in between to capture this game through the lens. Here are my top five photos from the dominant win.
5. A team effort
Ryan Odoim made it known early on that he was going to play a lot of guys this season. He coached that way at VCU as well, often giving nine guys healthy minutes. All signs point to him doing exactly that with this team. Nine guys played ten or more minutes, and twelve total guys saw the floor Saturday afternoon. It was a team win, and a beautiful one at that.
4. Jacarthree
Jacari White has been money from downtown early this season, shooting over 40% from behind the arc. One of his two threes in this game came just before the halftime buzzer, when he converted a deep ball to send the “Hoos to 61 points before the break. Having this firepower come off the bench has been huge for the ‘Hoos and will continue to be as the season progresses.
3. Not a happy camper
Ryan Odom was not a happy camper in the second half of this one, it seemed. He seemed frustrated with the overall effort in the second half, making constant substitutions when he saw something he didn’t like. Seeing this from a coach while up 30+ is rare, but certainly not bad. Ryan Odom wants his team to be excellent for 40 minutes, no matter who they are playing. If you let off the pedal and start to get lazy against the Marshalls, Hamptons, and NC Centrals of the world, who’s to say you don’t do that against the NC States, North Carolinas, or Louisvilles of the world?
2. Johann GrunNO
The first year from Germany has 17 blocks across four games, and added to his already historic season.
He has been a joy to watch do his work in the paint on offense and on the boards, securing rebounds. What a find from Ryan Odom and his staff.
1. The Jacarmy
These guys are such a treat, and will be cracking my top five photos list until further notice. They are loud, they are loyal, they are the Jacarmy.
