Voltar
The latest romp at John Paul Jones Arena was a good one for the Cavaliers. Virginia easily disposed of Bucknell, and several players got to play prominent roles off the bench. However, not all blowout wins are happy days for hopeful contributors off the bench. Many key starters still played bulk minutes.
Across the board, here are the biggest winners and losers from the Cavaliers' latest win:
Virginia had a whopping 23 offensive rebounds. Of all the Cavaliers who played at least seven minutes, all of them had at least one offensive rebound except for Kalu Anya. For a team averaging 93 points per game (second in the ACC), rebounds on the offensive side are an easy ticket to points.
All five starters showcased crisp passing, a three-point stroke and a few high-quality defensive stops. Regardless of the opponent's quality, those are good signs. Particularly good to see ahead of the team's first true road game this Friday at Maryland in a hostile environment.
In a game Virginia was projected to win by 30-plus, what better opportunity for young reserves to get involved? The thing is, that didn't happen. Barksdale and Ibe played the 11th and 12th most minutes of any Cavalier Tuesday night.
Barksdale was one of just four Cavaliers to not have a positive efficiency score. He will probably seldom see the floor in ACC play, if at all. That was already the case in each of the first few games.
Even though Virginia took a massive lead early in the game, the back of the bench didn't really benefit. Some players got extended playing time, but it wasn't the second-year and first-year with upside to boot.
UVA minutes tonight vs Bucknell (incl. garbage time):
— Xander (@xandertilock) November 11, 2026
- 21: De Ridder, Mallory, Grunloh
- 19: Adekunle, Lewis
- 17: Carrere, Vide
- 14: Dixon
- 13: Gertrude
- 10: Anya
-7: Ibe
- 6: Barksdale
- 5: Harmon
- 3: Lang
- 2: Odom, Rotter, Watson
A win is a win. But beyond that, the Cavaliers got a few others. No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Illinois both lost, which could open the door for Virginia to move up in the rankings. As far as external results go, the Cavaliers may have caught some breaks.
On another front, Virginia looks the part of a national juggernaut. It might be a few weeks (or well over a month) before this team loses its first game. If the Cavaliers can keep this up, they could earn their highest ranking since 2019 at some point before the first game of the new year.