No. 9 Virginia gets another chance to show what it looks like when its defense is locked in and the offense keeps its foot on the gas tonight against Northeastern.
The Cavaliers opened the season with a 29-point win over Drexel, while Northeastern dropped its first game to Boston University. On paper, this one tilts heavily toward Virginia, which comes in ranked 14th in KenPom’s Ratings compared with Northeastern at No.
- With bigger non-conference tests still ahead, this should be a comfortable night for Ryan Odom’s group.
The biggest thing to monitor is whether Virginia can keep its defensive edge for a full game. Last season, UVA built its identity around being one of the ACC’s best defensive teams, and with most of that roster back, that standard should travel.
The Cavaliers came out strong on Tuesday, forcing 21 turnovers, including 18 steals, and making Drexel work for everything. Odom liked the energy afterward and said:
"I like the aggressiveness. I was hoping for more at the beginning of the second half, and we didn't really see it.
You have to give Drexel credit - they came out and were more physical, and we settled for poor shots and weren't great in the half court. And we certainly have got to get we got to get better there.
We can't play that way out of halftime when we played a pretty good half overall. Got to be able to to do it again.
And thankfully, the guys did a nice job to to finish it out."
Virginia also has a clear individual bounce-back spot to watch. Mallory had a rough debut, finishing 2-for-7 from the field with six turnovers.
When the giveaways nearly match the points, it stands out. That said, it’s one game, and there’s no reason to draw any sweeping conclusions about what kind of season he can have.
The other question is how Virginia handles a game once it has control. Against Drexel, the Cavaliers were never threatened, but they clearly eased off after halftime.
UVA led 51-27 at the break, then only outscored Drexel 38-33 in the second half. The first half was cleaner: Virginia shot 52.1% from the field and 31.3% from three.
After halftime, those numbers dipped to 41.9% overall and 38.5% from deep, while the turnovers climbed to eight.
If Virginia jumps out to another big lead tonight, the test is simple: can it keep pressing and finish the way a top team should? That’s the kind of detail that separates a routine win from a convincing one, and it’s something the Cavaliers appear capable of doing.
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