The Virginia basketball team closed 2025 with one of its worst performances of the season, but returned in the new year with one of its best.
Ryan Odom's Cavaliers picked up their first ACC win 76-61 at North Carolina State on Saturday to move to 12-2 overall and 1-1 in the ACC. UVA never trailed against the Wolfpack, the first time the Cavaliers have led in an ACC game start to finish since a home victory over Boston College last season in late January.
The Cavaliers were hoping to shake off a frustrating triple overtime loss in Blacksburg on New Year's Eve where they had their worst shooting performance of the season (36% from the floor and 22.2% from 3-point range), turned the ball over 16 times (2nd most this season), and gave up a season-high 18 offensive rebounds. Odom said the theme of the day was "just being disciplined" against an NC State team known to be aggressive.
"Coming off a three overtime loss, obviously our guys were disappointed with our effort at Virginia Tech and wanted to just play better," Odom said. "You never know how that's going to go after a tough defeat like that. Sometimes it can just snowball on you."
The snowball rolled the other way, though, as Virginia kicked the game off on a 9-3 run with a 10-0 burst and multiple 8-0 runs sprinkled in the rest of the game to hand the Wolfpack their worst loss under first-year coach Will Wade. UVA showed problem-solving from the loss in Blacksburg, shooting 50% from the field and 39% from 3, while allowing a season-low 7 offensive rebounds.
"Just getting back to ourselves," Virginia guard Malik Thomas said. "We're a team that likes to share, like to get up and down. I think we got away from that at Virginia Tech."
The Hoos' quick start was almost single-handedly produced by wing Sam Lewis, who returned to the starting lineup after a one-game stead off the bench. Lewis scored the first 6 points of the game and had a season-high 20 points by halftime, equaling NC State’s total points scored in the first half. Lewis finished by tying a career-high 23 points on 5-9 shooting from distance to lead all scorers.
Thijs De Ridder bounced back after another slow start to score 12 of his 14 points in the second half, while Thomas continued his improved play with 13 points and a season-high seven rebounds. Devin Tillis was the fourth Cavalier to finish in double figures with 10 points, 7 of which came in the second half.
"Let's meet toughness with toughness," Odom said. "Trust and not defer and be confident, when you have a shot you take it, when you have the drive take it."
The emphatic Quad-1 win, plus the unique timing of the game at 11 a.m., helped wash out the loss in Blacksburg and make a statement to a national audience. Here are three takeaways from the game in Raleigh.
Sam Lewis The Missing Puzzle Piece In UVA Starting Lineup
Ryan Odom surprised many in Blacksburg when the starting lineup was announced. Devin Tillis made the start in place of Sam Lewis, the first lineup change of the season for the Cavaliers.
On Saturday, Odom went back to what had been the usual five of Dallin Hall, Malik Thomas, Sam Lewis, Thijs De Ridder, and Johann Grünloh.
"We played a lineup in the Virginia Tech game that was a little bit of a slower lineup," Odom said postgame about his previous starting lineup change. "Devin and Thijs and a 7-footer, either Ugo [Onyenso] or Johann, that's not a lineup that we've played a ton. That lineup typically slows a little bit, little bit more methodical and so we played it a ton in that game. Chance [Mallory] was coming off a sickness after Christmas, Jacari [White] is out."
The switch back to the usual starting five not only allowed the Cavaliers to play quicker against a smaller NC State lineup, but also gave Lewis the runway for his career outing. Lewis scored the first 6 points of the game, while displaying a quick trigger from 3 and driving well on closeouts.
"It's just confidence," Lewis said. "I made my first two, I felt great and I just kept shooting."
By the end of the first half Lewis had 20 points, after only combining for 16 total points in his last three games combined. That included 0 in his game off the bench at Virginia Tech. Lewis became the fifth different player this season to score 20+ points in a game, more than the previous two seasons combined (four).
"This team is full of guys like Sam, everybody can get it going on any given night," said Thomas, who just had a 26-point outing himself at VT.
The offense continues to be versatile in scoring options, just as Odom hoped for. Seven different players have led Virginia in scoring this season, while 10 players have scored in double digits at least once.
"We don't always have a first option quite honestly, we have a leading scorer," Odom said. "Everywhere I've been the open guy is the go-to guy."
Lewis tied his career-high with 23 points, a feat he accomplished three times at Toledo previously. This one meant a little more as the spark in a big ACC road contest.
"It's in the ACC, so it's a big difference,” Lewis said.
Odom Technical Foul Gives UVA A Jolt
The last 24 hours has been an interesting road for ACC officials, following fireworks out in Berkley on Friday night where Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry had to be restrained from officials after a controversial 4-point play call involving former UVA guard Dai Dai Ames.
Things were a little calmer in Raleigh on Saturday, as in the ACC won't be putting out a public reprimand for Ryan Odom, but sparks still flew in the second half.
NC State started the second half on an 13-2 run with 8 points coming at the free throw line. The Wolfpack were ultimately in the bonus by 10:32 left in the second half. But Odom took issue at the 16:41 mark after a late foul call against Ugonna Onyenso on a blocked shot. Odom left the coaching box and was assessed a technical foul, while sharing his criticism with officials. The first-year UVA coach didn't go too far into detail why he was so upset at the call, rather saying there were a number of frustrations.
"I was just irritated with quite a few things at that point. Irritated with my team and I shouldn't do that," Odom said. "That shouldn't be something that I do, but the guys responded."
After seeing their 20-point halftime lead evaporate to just 8 points, the Cavaliers responded with back-to-back 8-0 runs to stretch out their lead to as much as 27 points at one point. Players pointed to Odom's passion on the sidelines as one of the reasons UVA snapped out of a second half cold spell.
"It fires us up," Lewis said. “"It gets us going because coach is more of a chill guy so when he gets fired up."
Fouls area natural part of Virginia's more aggressive defensive style. The team ranks 15th in the ACC in fouls per game (19.2). The Cavaliers have not had a game with fewer fouls than their opponent since the neutral site win against Dayton in Charlotte.
The normally cool, calm, and collected Odom showed his more intense side on Saturday, ironically across from the always intense Will Wade, but it might have given Virginia the final push needed to get over the hill.
"We're going to miss coaching calls, officials are going to miss calls at times and they own up to that, we have to own up to when we make mistakes as coaches and players and it's just part of the game," Odom said. "Our guys needed a jolt of energy there."
Malik Thomas Finding His Spots
There are still no definitive answers as to why Malik Thomas sat the final stretch of regulation and most of two overtimes in the loss against Virginia Tech before making an instant impact on the floor late, but Thomas looks like he's starting to turn a corner overall.
After scoring a season-high 26 points in the Tech loss, Thomas followed it up with a solid display of 13 points and 7 rebounds against NC State. The San Francisco transfer graded out as one of the most efficient players on the floor for UVA in Raleigh, trailing only behind Sam Lewis and Devin Tillis.
Thomas has now scored in double figures in three straight games for the first time since November and it comes at a time when Virginia is without Jacari White, who remains sidelined after left wrist surgery. Without the Cavaliers microwave off the bench, Thomas has only seen his role increase.
In the five games before White's injury, Thomas was only averaging 17 minutes a game with only one game above 20 minutes played. Since White's injury, Thomas is averaging 25 minutes in the last three games.
With 44.4% of Virginia's shot coming 3-point range, Thomas provides something UVA needs more of, especially when the shots aren't following like in Blacksburg: rim pressure. Thomas brings enough craft and a midrange game to provide a unique look in Odom's analytically friendly offense of shots in the paint or from 3. Thomas currently ranks as Virginia's second-leading scorer with 12.2 points behind Thijs De Ridder's 16.5 points per game.
If Thomas can continue to give UVA a different look within the flow of the offense, the Cavaliers might be able to withstand the odd bad shooting days in the future.
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