It’s not even October yet, and we’ve already been given a glimpse of the new-look UVA Basketball team.
Sorta, kinda.
Chance Mallory didn’t play, the starters sat much of the second half – but at least our hoop was in the sun for the final 20 minutes.
The game was outdoors, in a tennis stadium in Charleston, S.C.
Vanderbilt got the sun court in the first half.
It had to feel 10 degrees cooler on the shady side.
Final score: Vandy 82, ‘Hoos 73.
We’re six weeks from games counting, and I can already sense some in the fan base wanting to push a panic button.
It’s six months to March Madness, so, pace yourself.
Plenty of time for kvetching when it matters.
“Vanderbilt’s going to be an excellent squad. I think we’re going to be pretty good, too,” Virginia coach Ryan Odom said after the game, which he coached wearing sunglasses – the UVA bench was on the sunny side of the court.
“I’m just looking forward to having our guys learn from this, what we can get from it, and moving on to practice,” Odom said.
We’re long past the days of fall practice starting with Midnight Madness. College basketball is a business now; the players – they go to class, but they’re not student-athletes anymore – are attached to the program for all but four or five weeks out of the year.
Sunday’s game was the first of three on the exhibition schedule for Virginia, which was 30-6 in Odom’s first season, and looks to be able to make another run for a spot at the top of the ACC in the 2026-2027 season.
The box score for Sunday, frustratingly, didn’t give us minutes played, but we know that 14 (!) guys in orange and blue got on the floor at some point.
The guys that I got excited about, after having tuned in via ESPN+:
- Elijah Gertrude: shot the ball well (3-of-6 FG, 1-of-2 3FG), finished with 10 points and two assists; looks like he will push for some backcourt minutes.
- Jan Vide: the big 6’6” point guard had eight points, three assists and didn’t turn the ball over.
- Nolan Adekunle: showed range with a made three, had six rebounds.
- Silas Barksdale: also showed range with a made three, finished with seven points.
Next up: a home game with Richmond on Friday, Oct. 9.
Share
Chris Graham
