The Virginia Cavaliers have two studs at center in Johann Grünloh and Ugonna Onyenso, and they continued to prove their upside for UVA this season in Friday night’s win against NC Central. The Wahoos advanced
to 2-0 with an 81-62 victory behind 20 points from Thijs de Ridder, 12 points from Malik Thomas, 10 points from Sam Lewis, and 10 from Ugonna Onyenso.
Onyenso added seven rebounds (four offensive) and two blocks to his final stat line. Grünloh registered four points, 11 rebounds (three offensive) and seven (7!!!) blocks.
The pair of seven-footers owned the glass and the rim, consistently rejecting the Eagles’ attempts in the paint and creating second chances on the other end with offensive rebounds.
Grünloh was magnificent as a shot blocker and rebounder, exploiting the Eagles’ lack of size. He added a pair of steals to his collections of denials, putting his lankiness on full display. Even though he wasn’t scoring as much as he did in Game 1, the big German still made a tremendous impact on the final result.
Coming off a four-block performance in his Virginia debut, Onyenso was slightly less dominant defensively in Game 2, finishing with three fouls. But he made up for it by flashing as a finisher offensively with eight first half points.
The presence that these two provide in the paint is a godsend for this Wahoo team. They erase mistakes defensively and create additional possessions on the other side.
Devin Tillis’ knee injury has necessitated Onyenso and Grünloh playing together for stints. They didn’t in Monday’s season-opener. But, after Odom teased that they could postgame, they played alongside one another for seven minutes on Friday.
The ‘Hoos relied on Grünloh to play the four in those lineups and to use his mobility defensively and stretch shooting offensively. Their combination meant that Martin Carrere only came into the game in the final three minutes when the final result was already secured.
These two big guys are perfect complements to the uber-productive De Ridder in the frontcourt and look to only be getting more comfortable the more college basketball they play.
