The No. 17 Virginia Cavaliers overcame a 19-point first-half deficit in South Bend on Tuesday night to defeat Notre Dame 100-97 in double overtime. A pair of Devin Tillis free throws evened the score in the final
seconds of regulation, while Sam Lewis’s game-tying three-pointer near the end of the first overtime saved the Cavaliers again. In double overtime, Lewis seized the moment again with a long two-point jumper that extended UVA’s lead to three points with under 12 seconds remaining, as well as a pair of free throws with five seconds left to clinch the win.
Freshman forward Thijs De Ridder led the Cavaliers with a career-high 32 points, surpassed only by Notre Dame’s Cole Certa, who also recorded a career-best with 34 points. Lewis added 21 points for the ‘Hoos, while freshman guard Chance Mallory tacked on another 17.
A poor start resulted in a 19-point deficit in the first half, so the ‘Hoos were fortunate to trail by only nine points at halftime. They battled back in the second half with improvements on both ends of the floor, especially in guarding the Irish on the perimeter. Still, they were seconds away from a second straight loss, both at the end of regulation and in the first overtime.
Here are five takeaways from the thrilling double overtime victory in South Bend.
Virginia never looked its best, but got the win nevertheless
They eked out a road win in conference play, but the Cavaliers will need to be much better going forward. Falling behind by 19 points to a previously 2-5 team in ACC play is not what we have come to expect from this team. Doing so after blowing a 16-point lead at home to UNC only made it that much more concerning.
The much-improved play in the second half and the fight the Cavaliers showed at the end of regulation and in both overtime periods is to be commended. Thijs De Ridder deserves praise for his relentless offensive performance, while Lewis and Mallory showed up in big moments late when called upon.
The positive takeaways for Ryan Odom and his staff largely stop there, though. The first 15 minutes or so of this game were a poor showing from his group. That can’t continue if the Cavaliers are going to maintain their stellar record this season. The Irish are far from the toughest opponent left on the schedule.
The Cavaliers came out colder than the South Bend wind chill
For one, the Cavaliers hit just 1 of their first 10 three-pointers over the first 12 minutes of the game. Some of those were due to poor shot selection – like Elijah Gertrude’s heavily contested, off-the-dribble attempt at the 9:35 mark – but others were wide open and just didn’t fall. The ‘Hoos kept firing away, though, as they have all season, desperately hoping for some to go down. Sam Lewis and Chance Mallory were the only ones who did in the first half, combining to shoot 3-of-5 from deep, in stark contrast to the rest of the team’s 0-for-7.
Second, on too few possessions did UVA actually attack the paint. Too much of the offense in the first half featured ball movement largely around the three-point arc. The resulting stagnant offense produced an insufficient number of good looks. When the Cavaliers were able to break down Notre Dame’s defense with drives to the hoop, constant cuts, and quick passing, they started to find more success. It also opened things up for Virginia’s forwards to work in the post.
It rarely looked pretty in the first half, but the ‘Hoos managed to cut the deficit to single digits before the break, giving themselves a chance in the second half.
Notre Dame had no answer for Thijs De Ridder
When Notre Dame was racing out to its 19-point lead in the first half, Virginia’s offense struggled to get into a consistent flow. However, freshman forward Thijs De Ridder was the one constant all night, not unlike most of the season, but still, it was a performance worth recognizing.
In the first half, he scored 14 of Virginia’s 35 points on 4-of-8 from the floor and hit all six of his attempts at the charity stripe. He didn’t hit a three all night, but he found fairly consistent success when he got his touches in the paint, even amid consistent fouling by Notre Dame’s big men that led to 15 free throw attempts on the night.
He was less efficient in the second half, but continued getting to the free-throw line and converted enough from the field to be effective. His ability to bully defenders on the low block, knock down mid-range jumpers, and stretch out to the three-point line continues to make him a nightmare for opposing big men. Every one of Virginia’s ACC opponents has known that, but few have been able to do much about it.
Notre Dame had no answer. De Ridder finished with 32 points on 9-of-20, while shooting 14-of-15 at the charity stripe. He also grabbed eight boards and dished out three assists.
It was a tale of two halves for Virginia’s defense
After allowing 51 points in the second half to North Carolina, a stout defensive performance against a supposedly inferior Notre Dame team was in order. The Cavaliers produced nothing of the sort out of the gate, allowing 44 points before the break.
Braeden Shrewsberry, in particular, came out hot, knocking down his first four three-point attempts. His teammates fed off of it, as the Irish collectively hit eight of their first 11 attempts from deep. That included a couple of outrageously deep threes, but too many came due to simple defensive breakdowns, including two off similar, if not identical, inbounds plays from under the hoop within a few minutes of each other.
The Virginia defense played much better after the break, to the credit of the staff and the players. At one point, the Irish went on a 1-for-12 stretch from the floor. Specifically, their improved effort against Shrewsberry was notable. After a 15-point first half highlighted by a quartet of three-pointers, Shrewsberry went scoreless in the second half. Virginia made it noticeably harder for him to even get the ball, let alone get a clean look.
Also of note, from the 6-minute mark of the first half, the Irish didn’t hit another three-pointer until Cole Certa nailed a deep one over De Ridder in the final minute.
Mallory continues to be an energizer
Virginia’s backcourt is not made up of the quickest group of guards, but Mallory is the clear exception among those receiving significant minutes. His ability to drive past his man and attack the hoop or kick it out to a teammate is unmatched by Malik Thomas, Dallin Hall, and Jacari White. They all do certain things well, but they don’t have the same ability to break down the defense and spark the offense. Add in Mallory’s 35.6% mark from deep, and he’s truly a dynamic threat on the offensive end.
When Virginia does fall into lulls of stagnant offense, nobody is able to get them back into a flow quite like Mallory. There were a couple of glimpses of it in the first half, including when he first checked into the game and had a quick assist to Devin Tillis off the pick-and-roll.
Then, just over five minutes into the second half, he drove the baseline and found Sam Lewis in the corner for three. The next possession down, it was Tillis who assisted Mallory’s three from the wing. A minute later, he snagged a defensive rebound and then scored a layup at the other end. He continued to be effective down the stretch and wound up totaling 17 points on 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-6 from deep. His three-pointer with less than two minutes left in double overtime was especially critical.
