By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia, having climbed three spots to No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, hits the road for a three-game stretch beginning tonight in Tallahassee (7 p.m., ESPNU), and no doubt Ryan Odom will be relying heavily on team depth.
The Cavaliers (20-3, 9-2) are 7.5-point favorites over Florida State (11-12, 4-6), and part of that success is due to a deep bench.
UVA’s reserves could likely start for most programs, including Odom’s, but the coach likes the roles several of his bench guys play in terms of bringing instant energy into games.
The topic of depth came up after the Cavaliers cruised past Syracuse last Saturday, when UVA’s bench players outscored the Orange’s bench 29-7. The bench — Devin Tillis, Chance Mallory, Ugonna Onyenso, Jacari White, among others — also contributed 16 rebounds, 11 assists, 6 steals and 3 blocked shots.
It was the 20th time this season that Virginia’s bench players outscored its opponents bench, 667 points to 415 over that stretch, or 29 points per game to 18.
After the win, White, who is battling back from a late-December broken wrist, explained that UVA’s reserves have a true pride in what they contribute.
“We call ourselves the ‘Bench Mob,’” White said. “We come in, bring the energy, lift it up or maintain what the starters are bringing. This is something we take pride in.”
Tillis is actually the one who came up with the nickname “Bench Mob.”
“He made the name up and it became a thing,” White said. “So that’s what we do, even in practice.”
Odom has started the same lineup — Thijs De Ridder, Johann Grünloh, Malik Thomas, Sam Lewis and Dallin Hall — in 22 of 23 games, preferring to stick with those five and bringing the energy, both offensively and defensively, off the bench.
Against Syracuse over the weekend, 7-foot Onyenso nearly pulled off a double-double with 10 points (5 for 8 FG) and 8 rebounds to go with 3 blocks. White, playing with a protective device on his non-shooting left hand, added 8 points (3 of 8 FG, 2 of 5 triples) and 3 assists. Tillis contributed 4 points, 3 rebounds and some solid defense.
And then there was Mallory, who comes into the game like a rocket blasting off from Cape Canaveral. Mallory scored 5 points (2 for 6 FG, 1 of 3 from deep), had 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, plus is a pit bull on defense.
During one series late in the game, Mallory, the smallest man on the floor, drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing, then followed it the next time down the floor with an alley-oop pass to Onyenso, then pulled down a rebound on the other end of the floor.
“He’s a winner,” Odom said. “He’s just a winner. I mean, he started the initial run with his steal on the inbounds play, just tipping it and getting it, and then Sam [Lewis] gets the three in the corner (making it 51-44, Virginia at the 14:32 mark). So he made plays throughout the game and helped this team. He doesn’t always have to score to be impactful, and he’s just a good player.”
Odom never turns down an opportunity to praise his bench, which will undoubtedly be a big factor on this three-game road trip to FSU, to neutral-site Nashville for a nonconference battle with Ohio State on Saturday, and then a trip to Georgia Tech, before returning home for four of its last five games within the friendly confines of JPJ.
“Ugo was great and I thought he did a nice job,” Odom said after the Syracuse win. “Devin always gives us a steady effort. Jacari was good, made some shots, and defensively was good out there. Chance obviously brings us a different level of energy and poise out there.
“You’re not going to play your best the entire year and so you kind of have ups and downs. That’s why the consistency of playing time and all that is really important. But ultimately, as you get into the game, like when you have depth, you have to figure out who makes the most sense down the stretch for the situation.”
Onyenso said that he likes his role in the “Bench Mob.”
“We play for each other,” the 7-footer said. “Our depth is like something different. Coming off the bench, or starting, it doesn’t matter.”
Virginia moved into sole possession of third place Monday night after NC State was devoured by Louisville, 117-78. The Cavaliers are 15th in kenpom.com and No. 16 in the NET rankings. They have a four-game winning streak over the Seminoles, who have won their last three outings and four of their last five. Coach Luke Loucks believes FSU should have won their last six.
“[Odom] has weapons all over the place,” Loucks said. “The biggest thing is their rebounding, especially offensively. All five guys are crashing. They’re physical and they’re tough. They’re in the top 15 in the country for a reason.”
Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said after the loss that “[Virginia’s] physicality was a difference and it really bothered us. They’re more physical live than on film.”
This Week’s ACC Scoreboard
Monday
Louisville 118, NC State 77
Tuesday
Virginia at Florida State, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
North Carolina at Miami, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Notre Dame at SMU, 7 p.m. (ACCN)
Duke at Pitt, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday
Virginia Tech at Clemson, 7 p.m. (ACCN)
California at Syracuse, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Wake Forest at Georgia Tech, 9 p.m. (ACCN)
Stanford at Boston College, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday
Virginia vs. Ohio State, 8 p.m. (FOX)***
Clemson at Duke, Noon (ESPN)
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame, Noon (The CW)
California at Boston College, Noon (ACCN)
Pitt at North Carolina, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Florida State at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m. (ACCN)
SMU at Syracuse, 2 p.m. (The CW)
Louisville at Baylor, 4 p.m. (ESPN)
Stanford at Wake Forest, 4 p.m. (ACCN)
Miami at NC State, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
*** — Nashville, Tenn.
