No. 23 Virginia finds strength in numbers, while Stanford is experiencing success with a “party of one” approach.
The balanced Cavaliers (13-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) will host freshman sensation Ebuka Okorie and the Cardinal (13-3, 2-1) on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville, Va.
Malik Thomas paced five Virginia players in double figures with 20 points in an 84-60 win against Cal on Wednesday. The visiting Golden Bears only had six scorers in the contest.
Seven different players have led the Cavaliers in scoring in at least one game this season, and eight different players have at least one contest with 16 or more points. Together, the team’s 86.1 scoring average ranks second in program history to the 1954-55 squad’s 89.8 clip.
Thijs De Ridder leads Virginia with 16.1 points per game, followed by Thomas (12.8), the injured Jacari White (10.9), Chance Mallory (10.6) and Sam Lewis (10.0). White is recovering from a broken left wrist and nearing a return.
Despite nine blocked shots and five steals against Cal, first-year Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom said there’s room for his team to improve on defense. He was pleased with his team’s 23 assists on 30 made field goals.
“Defensively, we’re trying to make strides, we’re trying to get better, Odom said. “The guys are focused on that. Offensively, we can’t lose that ability to really share the ball and put pressure on our opponents. I think we’re improving. We can’t stay where we’re at, though.”
Virginia improved to 9-0 at home. After Saturday’s date with Stanford, the Cavaliers play four of five on the road.
“Teams that want to compete for championships have to take care of home court,” Odom said, “and you have to find ways to win on the road. It’s tough to win on the road.”
Three players are scoring in double figures for the Cardinal, but Okorie is the undisputed star of the show with 22.6 points per game. He has scored at least 28 points in four of his last five games, and Stanford is 9-0 when he scores at least 20.
Okorie fueled Wednesday night’s stunning comeback at Virginia Tech as the Cardinal closed with a 14-1 run to claim a 69-68 victory. Okorie finished with 31 points — 26 in the second half — and scored or assisted on 40 of his team’s last 42 points in Blacksburg, Va.
“We just stayed level-headed throughout the game; never got too high, never got too low,” Okorie said. “Toward the end we just stuck with it and got momentum and got the win.”
Okorie, a 6-foot-2 guard and a four-star recruit from Nashua, N.H., knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer with three seconds left to beat the Hokies.
“That was obviously a great win for our program,” Stanford head coach Kyle Smith said. “I’m really proud of our guys how they just kind of hung in there. … Great win.”
Chisom Okpara (14.6) and Benny Gealer (10.5) also are averaging double-digit points for the Cardinal. Okorie leads the team with 43 assists and ranks second in steals (22) and 3-point field goals (28).
Stanford is 8-1 all-time against Virginia and has won the past seven meetings.
