CHARLOTTESVILLE — The first 10 minutes of No. 11 Virginia’s 90-61 win over NC State on Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena exemplified just how suffocating the Cavaliers’ defense can be.
At the 10:35 mark in the first half, the Wolfpack trailed 15-5, had made only 2 of 17 field-goal attempts and connected on only one shot inside the arc. The fulcrum of that defensive stonewalling by UVA was its pair of 7-foot centers, Johann Grünloh and Ugonna Onyenso, who combined to block 12 shots against the Wolfpack, including eight in the first 10 minutes.
“They were playing volleyball at the basket,” NC State coach Will Wade lamented after his team, which ranked third in the ACC with an 84.9-point scoring average, fell flat against the Cavaliers for the second time this season.
Virginia (25-3, 13-2) takes a nine-game win streak into its road showdown against No. 1 Duke on Saturday with a share of first-place in the ACC at stake. Those massive rim-protectors have been pivotal to that string of recent success, blocking shots at an incredible rate.
David Teel: UVA has lost 31 of 32 games vs. No. 1 teams. Cavs will try again Saturday vs. Duke.
The dozen deflections against the Wolfpack were a season high for the Cavaliers, besting the 11 they registered in nonconference play against North Carolina Central and Butler. It was their highest total since swatting 13 shots in a 49-47 win against Wake Forest on February 17, 2024.
“What they do for us defensively, holding that anchor down in the middle is super big,” UVA point guard Dallin Hall said. “It gives us a lot of freedom to really execute the ‘scout,’ be aggressive, take certain things away, because we know we have those two elite rim protectors behind us.”
UVA’s shot-blockers have taken turns locking down the paint this season. Against NC State, Grünloh set the tone early in what turned out to be a career night. The freshman from Loningen, Germany, had five of his season-high eight blocks in the first 10 minutes.
The Wolfpack was aggressive at the jump, going directly at Grünloh, but he turned away shot after shot. He blocked three close-range attempts in the first three minutes, smacked away a 3-point attempt at the top of the arc and then held his ground on a gutsy effort by 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward Musa Sagnia.
Sagnia thought about attacking under the basket from the right side — which is where the bulk of Grünloh’s early blocks came — but looped around to the other side to get a better look. He put his shoulder into Grünloh’s chest and took a step to his left before going the other way for a hook shot that UVA’s big man redirected with ease.
“I think it’s a lot of timing and not falling for shot fakes,” said Grünloh, who helped whip up a raucous home crowd Tuesday that included about a dozen family members and friends from his native country.
“When you’re 7-foot, you don’t really have to jump that high, especially when their big men or guards aren’t that tall. You just have to absorb the contact, stand straight and then they’re just going to shoot into your arms. I think that’s the recipe, probably.”
Virginia center Johann Grünloh (17) blocks the shot against NC State during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons)
Grünloh has started every game in the post for the Cavaliers, but the senior Onyenso has been equally as effective defending the rim while coming off the bench.
The 245-pound Nigerian, who started his career at Kentucky and took a one-year detour to Kansas State last season before landing at UVA, leads the team with 73 blocked shots. Grünloh has 68.
“Coming off the bench, starting, it doesn’t matter,” Onyenso said after blocking three shots in a 72-59 win over Syracuse on Feb. 7. “Whenever we’re in there, we’re playing as hard as we can, and then we’re coming out and the next person is going in.”
They are both in contention for the record for most blocks in the non-Ralph Sampson division of the school’s record book. Sampson has the top four seasons in school history in blocks, with a high mark of 157 in the 1979-80 season. The fifth-best single-season mark is Kris Hunter’s 88 in 1998-99.
“They don’t get enough credit for what they do,” Hall said of Grünloh and Onyenso. “There was a list of the top defenders in the country, and these two guys were not on it, which is mind-blowing to me, but we’re not going to sit there and worry about it. We’re just going to focus on winning games, and they are very important to what we do as a team.”
The Cavaliers are tied for second nationally with 6.2 blocked shots per game, which has contributed significantly to their overall defensive efficacy. They rank 11th nationally in field goal percentage defense (39.3%) and 18th in 3-point percentage defense (30%).
Keeping that up in their next contest won’t be easy. Opponents have averaged only 2.5 blocked shots per game against the Blue Devils (26-2, 14-1), who have won five straight since falling at No. 18 North Carolina on Feb. 7.
“Our defense is where our identity sits and where we want it to sit,” UVA coach Ryan Odom said after his team’s 94-68 road win over Georgia Tech last Wednesday. “It’s really important to us. I think the guys understand they have to play with a sense of urgency on that side of the ball.”
That’ll be especially important against a Duke team loaded with talent and size.
“We know the challenge that lies ahead there — the No. 1 team in the country, extremely well coached, extremely talented and together and tough,” Odom said. “We’re going to have to play our best to have a chance to win.”
