In the midst of Jacari White‘s historic streak of 11 straight three-pointers – tying the UVA Basketball record set by Kyle Guy – it’s time to give not only White, but the entirety of the bench unit, their due.
Virginia’s bench is averaging 34.4 points per game (37th in the country). The man of the hour, White, is averaging almost 11 points and is shooting a blistering 54 percent on threes; he’s been a consistent weapon on both ends.
You don’t see many bench players with their own cheering section.
Chance Mallory, who’s basically an unofficial starter at this point, is third on the team in minutes, points and rebounds, second in assists and first in steals. Mallory has already exceeded lofty expectations, and the arrow is pointing straight up.
Ugonna Onyenso is second in blocked shots and field-goal percentage and fourth in rebounds in just over 16 minutes per game. He’s looked every bit the part; dominant at moments; throwing down lobs and giving opponents nightmares at the rim.
Devin Tillis has brought versatility and experience to the squad. He’s off to a hot start from three at 44 percent and has done a little bit of everything; including some old-school post moves.
Fans haven’t seen a ton of Elijah Gertrude or Martin Carrere; there just aren’t enough minutes to go around as long as everyone’s healthy and playing at this high of a level. They’ll continue to get blowout minutes, and Gertrude is the next man up.
What we saw in the 86-73 win over Dayton
The Virginia bench scored 53 in the 86-73 win over Dayton in Charlotte on Saturday, the most for a Virginia bench uint since 2016.
White will, eventually, miss a shot, and the ‘Hoos won’t shoot 60 percent from three or the field very often. But from what we saw Saturday, UVA doesn’t need to be perfect to beat a good team.
The Cavaliers ended up with 21 turnovers, their most since the 2008-2009 season. Regardless, UVA’s hot shooting and domination on the boards (+19) were too much for Dayton.
Mallory had another sterling all-around performance. The starter chants grow louder. But as long as he’s getting 24+ minutes per game, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The starter at the point, Dallin Hall, still brings a steady hand and has a knack for big shots. He deserves a role.
Thijs de Ridder, Malik Thomas and Sam Lewis, who were quiet against Dayton, have better days ahead. They’re tough, professional, two-way players who’ll continue to anchor the starting lineup.
Johann Grunloh has been quietly improving. He was great defensively the past few games as he adjusts to the physicality of the college game.
Although Onyenso has looked more polished overall, Grunloh still has more room to grow than anyone on this team. His development is vital for UVA to reach its ceiling.
Expect Tillis to see more minutes as the season progresses. He’s a matchup nightmare at SF/PF, and at 23 years old, he’s likely to see some crucial crunch time minutes as well.
When you really think about it, all nine of these players are good enough to start. That’s a damn fine situation to be in.
The importance of depth can’t be understated. Not one player is conserving energy. Everyone goes all out, all the time. If someone gets into foul trouble, is having a rough stretch or if it’s not the best matchup, then Ryan Odom can rely on his bench to bail them out.
It’s a luxury that has added height to this team’s ceiling. And right now Virginia’s ceiling is growing by the game.
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