The Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball team moved to 5-0 in the Ryan Odom era on Friday evening by beating the Northwestern Wildcats 83-78 in a back-and-forth affair.
Northwestern took control of the game
early before the ‘Hoos rallied to build a four-point lead entering halftime. The second half unfolded similarly with the Wildcats coming out of the gates hot and going up seven with over 15 minutes remaining and six points with around 12 minutes on the clock.
The performances from Thijs de Ridder (26 points, eight rebounds), Chance Mallory (16 points, eight rebounds), Malik Thomas (14 points, three assists) and Dallin Hall (11 points) carried the Wahoos to the victory as they pulled ahead in the final four minutes and sealed the deal with late free throw shooting.
Following UVA’s first win against a Power-4 opponent, we have five takeaways:
Thijs de Ridder is a star
If the first four games when he averaged 17.3 points per game weren’t enough evidence, De Ridder proved that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the ACC this season. The Belgian forward’s 26 points came in just 27 minutes. He shot 9-for-15 from the field and an impressive 8-for-9 from the free throw line.
The Wahoo offense essentially ran through De Ridder for much of the game until he fouled out with 4:45 remaining. He was powerful in the paint, made plays driving to the hoop, dominated the offensive glass, and drew fouls repeatedly. De Ridder’s poundage was simply too much for the Wildcats. He showed off how polished he is around the basket and really kept Virginia in the game in the first half, scoring 17 points before the break.
The only knock on De Ridder’s performance was how short-lived it was. The big man is clearly still adjusting to college basketball and how to be a physical defender around the painted area without getting called. Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli definitely tested De Ridder’s agility defending at the four which could be a theme for Virginia against teams with a power forward who can score the rock.
Nevertheless, De Ridder is playing at an All-ACC caliber right now and should continue to be the most significant driving force for the Cavaliers on offense.
Virginia won by dominating the offensive glass
UVA’s dominance on the offensive glass hardly fell off in their first test this season. After rebounding nearly 50% of their misses in the first four games, the Wahoos collected 52.5% of their own missed shots on Friday against Northwestern. Virginia netted 18 points on 21 offensive rebounds. De Ridder led the way with five. Mallory, Hall, Jacari White, Johann Gruenloh, and Sam Lewis all grabbed multiple offensive rebounds as well.
Odom’s commitment to sending all five guys at the basket on every shot has paid off in the early going. Northwestern did score 17 fast break points. Some of those came off turnovers and were not directly a result of the Cavaliers not getting back on defense.
On the whole, Virginia dominated Northwestern on the glass, out-rebounding the Wildcats 49-25. That’s an absurd margin reflective of strategic emphasis placed on hitting the glass hard and the size and length that the ‘Hoos boast. Their smallest player, Mallory, recorded eight rebounds. His motor and effort is undeniable and is reflective of the team-wide dedication to attacking the glass.
Chance Mallory is one of the most important players Virginia has
Speaking of, Mallory was arguably UVA’s second-best player on Friday night. The way he went toe-to-toe with fellow 5-foot-10 point guard Jayden Reid was impressive. He played a critical role for the ‘Hoos to alleviate the stress Reid’s ball pressure put on Hall and provide his own mobility as the point of attack defender.
Mallory’s poise is impressive for a freshman point guard who’s played just five games of college basketball. Not only did he not turn the ball over once on Friday, but he also shot 9-for-10 from the free throw line including going 7-for-8 in the second half.
While the Charlottesville native only had one assist, that was more a result of UVA shooting 20.8% (5-for-24) from three-point range than it was him failing to facilitate. He’s a decisive lead guard who can shoot the ball and score at multiple levels of the defense. He got into the lane and made plays time and again, keeping the offense humming even while De Ridder sat for some time in the second half.
Mallory is going to be a special player across his time in the orange and blue. What he provides this team and this backcourt, though, is also critical since the ‘Hoos don’t boast an abundance of the traits which make him so good.
On-ball perimeter defense remains a question mark
One issue the entire UVA defense had, Mallory included, was guarding on the perimeter against Northwestern. Reid was electric as the Wildcats’ lead guard, scoring 25 points (including 11 off of 14 free throw attempts) and dishing out five assists. He repeatedly punished Virginia’s guards for struggling to get around ball screens.
The pressure he put on the UVA defense created opportunities for center Arrinten Page around the rim as Reid’s penetration helped to neutralize the threat of Virginia’s shot blockers. He also was largely responsible for getting De Ridder and Mallory into foul trouble, resulting in them both fouling out in the final minutes.
Perimeter defense is the biggest weakness that this Wahoo roster has. Notably, UVA’s most athletic and disruptive perimeter defender, Elijah Gertrude, did not enter the game on Friday night. How the ‘Hoos handle guarding players like Reid and bigger playmaking guards will be a central theme in Odom’s first season at the helm.
UVA’s free throw shooting is far improved
Back on the positive side: Virginia was far, far improved at the charity stripe on Friday night. The Cavaliers entered the matchup with Northwestern having converted just 66% of their free throw attempts.
They scored 30 points at the free throw line versus the Wildcats, shooting 30-for-36 (83.3%). Mallory (9-for-10), De Ridder (8-for-9), Thomas (7-for-8), and Hall (5-for-6) all missed just one shot all on six-plus attempts.
The success at the line didn’t translate to efficiency behind the arc. UVA made only 20.8% of their three-pointers. But when the frontcourt is dominating on the blocks and the guards are penetrating and drawing attention (and fouls) to the degree that Virginia was versus Northwestern, consistently hitting from deep isn’t always necessary. It’s encouraging that the ‘Hoos can win against legit competition while not shooting well.
Bonus takeaway: Dallin Hall was clutch
This just didn’t quite fit in the top five takeaways.
Hall closed out the win against the Wildcats. His pair of three-pointers in the second half, the first with 9:35 left and the second with just 2:31 remaining, were game-defining plays. The latter put the ‘Hoos up 74-70 and helped build the lead that Virginia protected in the final few minutes.
After hitting that deep ball, Hall knocked down five free throws in the final minute of action to maintain UVA’s multi-possession advantage.
The BYU transfer wasn’t perfect. He shot 2-for-9 from the field (the two threes being his only made baskets) and he struggled against Reid on either end of the floor. But he stepped up when De Ridder and Mallory fouled out, a sign of the value of his experience for this roster.
