Ty Jerome wasted no time giving the NBA season a jolt.
In Memphis, the former Virginia guard opened the year with a 45-point outburst against the Utah Jazz, and the performance quickly took over social media. Jerome connected on 17 of 25 shots, went 5 of 10 from 3-point range, and finished with 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a blocked shot. That scoring total tied Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards for the highest mark on opening day.
The night also pushed Jerome into a spot no former Hoos had ever reached. His 45 points made him the highest-scoring Virginia player in a single NBA game, moving him past Trey Murphy III’s 44 and Ralph Sampson’s 43. It also put him in a very small club alongside Michael Jordan.
Only 2 players in NBA history have recorded 45+ pts, 5+ reb, 5+ ast on 60% FG in a season-opening win. Michael Jordan in 1989 AND... Ty Jerome tonight. https://t.co/NGWBr0y8Q6
- Connor Groel (@ConnorGroel) October 22, 2026
For Virginia fans, none of this came out of nowhere. Jerome has long been the kind of guard who can steer a game, create his own shot, and hit from deep range.
He showed plenty of that in Charlottesville, including during the 2019 National Championship run, when one Sabre article described his Final Four play as “masterful.” The buzz around his opener spread fast through fan circles, too.
The reaction kept rolling from there. The ACC highlighted that Jerome has been drilling deep threes in pressure spots for years, while Courtside Films pointed back to the offensive package he’s had for a while. That post even drew a comment from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who called Jerome “my favorite player” in the comments.
More basketball accounts jumped in as the night gained momentum. The ALL NBA Podcast noted how often Memphis put Jerome in on-ball action and said Utah had no answer, citing 40 direct on-ball picks and 1.52 points per direct. The post also pointed out that only a handful of players in the tracking era have produced 1.5 or more points per possession on that kind of volume: Luka, CP3, Trae, Brunson, Harden, FVV, Dame, and Reggie Jackson.
Elsewhere, Offside shared a one-word reaction from @BiasedSlightly, and Role Player Performances included Jerome on a list of players most likely to move beyond the role player label this season. The group also included OG Anunoby, Ausar Thompson, Payton Pritchard, Kyshawn George, Donovan Clingan, Andrew Nembhard, Jaden McDaniels and Walker Kessler.
Fan(s) of the Week: UVA. Student Fan(s) of the Week: having a great time on the hill. Feature Photo Of The Week: Justin Ross and the Hoos look to keep their home winning streak alive this week.
In Other News...
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The challenge gets sharper when the Blue Devils bring a versatile threat like Nate Sheppard, who can hurt a defense on the ground and in the passing game. Virginia does not need a perfect performance to stay in the game, but it does need a sturdier one than it has been able to put together lately, and the absence of several starters makes that a tougher ask. In a meeting with conference standing implications, how the Cavaliers hold up physically may end up mattering as much as anything they do schematically. [Read more 🡒]