uva basketball: No. 14 Virginia Takes Aim at Georgia Tech Late Wednesday Night
CHARLOTTESVILLE — No. 14 Virginia (22-3, 10-2 ACC) visited Georgia Tech (11-15, 2-11 ACC) on Wednesday, Feb. 18, with tip at 9: 00 p. m. ET at McCamish Pavilion. The game opened with Virginia imposing its will early, building a lopsided lead that left the home crowd stunned and put the Cavaliers firmly in control before halftime.
Virginia's first-half surge silenced the crowd
The Cavaliers wasted no time turning the contest into an uphill climb for the Yellow Jackets. Virginia raced to an early advantage and repeatedly extended runs that Georgia Tech could not match. At one stretch in the opening half the visitors went on a 19-2 run and later pushed the margin to 36-7, a sequence that underscored Virginia's defensive discipline and efficient offense.
Virginia's pressure generated turnovers and poor shot selection from the hosts, who were held to single-digit scoring for long stretches. The Cavaliers repeatedly capitalized, hitting several consecutive field goals during extended runs. Their tempo and ball movement kept Georgia Tech scrambling, and the scoreboard reflected the visitors' dominance with a commanding lead well before the break.
Key contributors and hiccups
Malik Thomas and Thijs De Ridder each supplied early offensive bursts, both reaching double figures by midfirst half and helping to sustain Virginia's scoring explosions. The balanced attack prevented the Yellow Jackets from focusing their defense on a single scorer, creating open looks and high-percentage opportunities.
On the other end, Georgia Tech battled foul trouble that hampered rotations and defensive aggressiveness. Forward Baye Ndongo picked up early fouls, which forced him to the bench at critical moments and limited the hosts' ability to contest inside. Those absences widened defensive gaps that Virginia exploited, particularly on second-chance opportunities and in transition.
Turnovers were another deciding factor. The Yellow Jackets committed several miscues in quick succession while trying to answer Virginia's runs, and many of those miscues led directly to Cavaliers points. When Georgia Tech finally found a rhythm late in the half, the damage had already been done.
What this means moving forward
The comprehensive first-half performance reinforced Virginia's position among the top teams in the conference. The Cavaliers' ability to impose defensive intensity while getting multiple scorers involved gives them the versatility needed in the stretch run. For Georgia Tech, the loss exposed depth issues and the consequences of early foul trouble; those are areas the program will need to address if it hopes to climb back in league standings.
Virginia's win-attempt was defined by crisp execution and disciplined defense. The Cavaliers controlled pace, limited easy looks for the opposition and converted on their own opportunities — a combination that has been a hallmark of their better outings this season. Georgia Tech will take lessons from the game about protecting the ball and minimizing early fouls if it wants to avoid similar blowouts in the future.
As conference play tightens, performances like this one serve as reminders of how quickly momentum can swing in a single half. Virginia left Atlanta having demonstrated both the depth and the defensive resolve that keep it competitive at the national level, while Georgia Tech faces the task of shoring up fundamentals and rebounding under pressure.
