The ACC basketball schedule model this year offers only two rematches for teams. Virginia hosted NC State on Tuesday night in its first repeat meeting of the season and it's safe to say that the Wolfpack probably have had enough of the Hoos for now.
After winning the first matchup 76-61 in early January, UVA delivered a bigger victory in the rematch with a 90-61 final margin. The Cavaliers never trailed in either meeting and led Tuesday night's contest by double digits for the entire second half. NCSU coach Will Wade called Virginia "a great team" in his postgame remarks and told gathered media that the reason for the outcome was pretty simple.
"Virginia could go to the Final Four," Wade said. "... They're one of the best defensive teams in the country. They're the third best offensive rebounding team in the country. This is a really, really good team, and they steamrolled us. They're better than we are. If we played them 10 times, I'm not sure we could beat them. Maybe once, get lucky on a neutral court, maybe once. But they're just flat better than us."
It's easy to see why Wade could feel so dejected in the aftermath of a 29-point loss. The Hoos didn't win simply because of hot shooting, though that was part of it. They didn't just cause problems around the rim defensively, though that was part of it. They didn't pull away just because of rebounding, easy points in transition, or a big night from the bench either, though those things all were part of it too.
No, NC State's frustrations with a lopsided loss could be because all of those things went UVA's way.
The hosts lit up the scoreboard thanks to 53.4% overall shooting, 46.2% 3-point shooting, and 88.9% free throw shooting. In the second half, that included a blistering 70.0% effort in the second half that saw the Cavaliers make 21 of 30 shots overall. That included 50.0% 3-point shooting as they went 7-14 after the break. They tallied 17 assists on 31 baskets, which helped place five players in double figures. Thijs De Ridder led the way with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Sam Lewis (16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist), Jacari White (15 points, 4 rebounds), Malik Thomas (12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), and Chance Mallory (11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) all chipped in big numbers too. The bench held a 32-5 advantage in the scoring column.
Virginia held similar advantages elsewhere. It won the rebounding battle 40-36, logged 12 blocked shots, and held the visitors to 29.4% shooting overall and 27.3% shooting from 3-point range. The Hoos cranked out 24 fastbreak points as they got multiple easy baskets in the game.
It all added up to a convincing win in the end. That's the second time this week fans at the John Paul Jones Arena got to see a lot of scoring and a winning effort. Cavalier coach Ryan Odom noticed their presence during two big home victories.
"Just wanted to say, great crowd out there tonight. I didn't mention that the other night. That's two straight just ridiculous crowds and the students were into it, fans were into it," Odom said. "Obviously our guys gave them something to cheer about throughout the game and just really pleased with the turnout and appreciative of everybody coming. Good game for us tonight. Our guys were ready to play."
UVA improved to 25-3 overall and 13-2 in the ACC as a result. Here are some additional takeaways from the win against NC State.
On Blocked Shots & Missed Shots
Virginia found different ways to break down the NC State defense, getting Thijs De Ridder touches in the paint or its guards spot-up opportunities through ball movement. NCSU did not have the same impact with its offense, though.
One reason for the tough night offensively can be traced to the center spot for UVA. The one-two punch of Johann Grünloh and Ugonna Onyenso patrolled the paint and provided plenty of resistance. The duo combined for 12 blocked shots as the Hoos set the new season high. Virginia reached double-digit blocks for just the third time this season and for the first time in conference play. This is the seventh time in the ACC that the Hoos posted at least 7 blocked shots, though.
Grünloh finished with 3 points, 4 rebounds, and a career-high 8 blocked shots. Onyneso had 4 points, 2 rebounds, 4 blocked shots, and 2 steals with the last number matching his career high. NC State coach Will Wade said that the 7-footers were "playing volleyball" protecting the basket.
That's something UVA guard Dallin Hall said really contributes to the team's success defensively and added later that the two don't get enough credit.
"I don't feel bad, I had to play against that all summer," Hall said with a laugh. "It's super important for our defense, even altering shots, there's a lot of that going on for those two guys. So just their gravity that they have inside the key is super big for us. It makes teams really game plan different for us. On nights when people might think they didn't have a great night, what they do for us defensively holding that anchor down in the middle is super big. It gives us a lot of freedom to really execute the scout, be aggressive, take certain things way because we know we have those two elite protectors behind us."
Virginia coach Ryan Odom noted how that defensive effort can turn into transition opportunities for his team's offense too. The Hoos produced 24 fastbreak points in the win.
"When they can clean up a shot or somebody on a downhill, it can turn into offense for us on the other side," Odom said. "Johann was unbelievable tonight, having 8 blocks is impressive, and he was just very clean with it. He was there with his body and in between them and the basket and a couple times came out of nowhere like he did the other night. Just really excited for his development, just the energy that he's playing with right now is really, really solid."
When the Cavaliers weren't blocking shots - the 12 blocks accounted for 25% of the Wolfpack's 48 misses - they were preventing made baskets and bothering attempts in other ways. After multiple attempts came up short, the student section pulled out the often imitated 'airball' chant to serenade the results.
In the end, the Hoos held the visitors to 29.4% shooting overall and 27.3% shooting from 3-point range. The Wolfpack hit 20 of 68 shots overall and 9 of 33 3-point attempts in their loss. If not for solid outings from Paul McNeil Jr. (22 points, 6 rebounds) and Darrion Williams (14 points, 3 assists), it may have been worse. State's other six players that saw the floor combined to go 9-40 shooting (22.5%) in the game. Ven-Allen Lubin was the only other player to get to double figures with 11 points.
This is the ninth time in ACC play that UVA has held an opponent to less than 40.0% shooting and the second time an opponent fell below 30.0%. Florida State managed just 29.0% in the Hoos' 61-58 win last month. NC State had shot 47.0% or better in seven of its eight previous games, including a 48.4% outing in a victory against North Carolina prior to facing Virginia. The Pack landed at 36.0% shooting in the first meeting with the Wahoos.
"I think that's what our team is known for, having them shoot not great percentages from the field," Grünloh said. "Me and Ugo, I mean Ugo's I think the best percentage shot blocker in the NCAA, so I think that's what makes all of our guards defend on a high level, a high physical level making it hard for the shooters too. I think we can continue that. "
Sam The Smooth At Home
At this point in the season, there are plenty of things that can draw the attention of observers on a team filled with depth. UVA's bench scoring, a 32-5 advantage Tuesday, is one. The aforementioned shot-blocking is another. Chance Mallory flying around the court always draws some appreciation.
There's a more quiet impact happening frequently, though, that doesn't always draw the same chatter. Virginia starting guard Sam Lewis ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game while shooting 54.2% on 2-point shots and 39.5% on 3-pointers. That's an effective field goal rate of 56.9%. For the season, Lewis has scored in double figures in 16 games.
That efficiency plays a big part in the team's success and scoring ability because Lewis can be a big contributor on relatively low volume a lot of nights. According to Bart Torvik, he ranks the fifth on the team in usage rate and is fourth among the regular five-guard rotation. Usage rate estimates a players contributions on offense by accounting for possessions that in a shot attempt, a free throw attempt, or turnover.
Lewis has been particularly effective at the John Paul Jones Arena in ACC play. In UVA's seven conference home games, he's reached double figures in scoring six times. The one miss was an 8-point outing against Stanford. He has made 34 of 66 shot attempts in those games, a 51.5% shooting percentage. Lewis lit up Miami and NC State on Saturday and Tuesday by making 13 of 19 attempts, a scorching 68.4% split. The combined 31 points came on 15 points against the Hurricanes and 16 points against the Wolfpack.
That's four straight games at home with absurd shooting numbers for Lewis. Prior to a three-game swing outside of the JPJ, Lewis had poured in a matching 31 points against Pittsburgh and Syracuse. He converted 5 of 10 shots in both of those games on the way to 15 against Pitt and 16 against Cuse. In those two games, a lot of his work came from outside the arc as he made 4 of 8 3's in both. Lewis attacked Miami and NCSU more inside the arc as he attempted just 5 3-pointers in those two games.
For the season, Lewis shoots 52.5% overall and 47.0% from 3-point range in home games.
Thijs Proves To Be Too Much For NCSU
In another chapter of the 'no answers' book that was NC State's story on Tuesday night, Thijs De Ridder caused a lot of headaches for the Wolfpack. He led UVA in scoring with 19 points to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He broke out for a crowd-pleasing dunk in transition in the second half as part of the show.
A Thijs De Ridder dunk for the @EvanMiya kill shot.
— Preston Willett (@PrestonWillett) February 25, 2026
Dominant run from UVA.
pic.twitter.com/lfwbCQyzSg
De Ridder got that done on 7-10 shooting, including 6 of 8 inside the arc. He also knocked down 4 of 4 free throws. The 6'9", 238-pound forward was just a matchup nightmare for an NC State team without much height or bulk to counter. Even with the Pack bench yelling out "Spin!" reminders from the bench given De Ridder's go-to move around the basket, there was little resistance for what turned into a big night.
Of course, De Ridder has been a handful for many opponents this season. There are shooters all around him. See the Sam Lewis breakdown above or Jacari White's latest heater Tuesday night as examples. White delighted Hoo fans again with 15 points that included 4-5 shooting from 3-point range in the win.
Those types of threats on the perimeter create a lot of space for De Ridder to operate on the inside. While that comes from post-ups directly on the blocks at times, he's a bigger challenge when he's facing the basket 12- to 15-feet away. That gives him a chance survey the defense and look for openings. At his size, once De Ridder attacks toward the rim, it's hard to absorb any physical contact and knock him off his line. Plus, as State coach Will Wade noted, even if a defender can manage to get a body in front of a move, De Ridder does an excellent job of feeling that contact and spinning back the other way to finish.
He leads UVA in scoring at 16.0 points per game while shooting 52.4% from the floor. He has landed in double figures 21 times in 28 games. In two recent games where Virginia reached 94 and 90 points against Georgia Tech and NC State, he poured in 41 points (22 and 19) on 16-23 shooting (69.6%).
Asked about De Ridder getting out and running the floor in transition on top of that as part of the challenge, Wade cracked a smile and said De Ridder is tough to cover.
"Well, damn, we didn't guard him in transition. Anybody can score one on zero," Wade said with a grin. "Look, he's a great player. He's a great player. I mean he hit us on the spin move two different times. He spun through three different people. He spins on every finish. Look, he can go through us and we try to go around."
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!