Cavaliers Reign Supreme Against Queens

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — In two games at last weekend’s Skechers Greenbrier Tip-Off, the Virginia Cavaliers totaled only 14 assists. So they went back to work after returning from White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., and those efforts paid off Friday.

In a 94-69 win over Division I newcomer Queens at John Paul Jones Arena, UVA assisted on 24 of its 32 field goals. Seven players had at least two assists apiece for the Wahoos, led by point guard Dallin Hall (five).

“This was a big game for us, especially coming off of a loss,” UVA head coach Ryan Odom said. “We learned a lot over the course of that weekend about ourselves: some stuff we like, some stuff that we certainly need to improve upon.”

At the Greenbrier event, Virginia defeated Northwestern 83-78 last Friday night. Two days later, UVA had only six assists in an 80-73 loss to Butler.

“I think we got a little bit seduced from the Northwestern game because we drew so many fouls,” Odom said. “We got a little bit seduced into the dribble and not the pass, and you have to have a balance of both.

“It’s not that we don’t want to dribble. We certainly want to dribble. But when you dribble is really important, and what somebody else just did with the ball is really important as well. And so we want to make sure that we’re sharing it and giving our good players the space to be able to work.”

This is Odom’s first season at Virginia, but the identity of “all of his teams has been sharing the ball,” forward Devin Tillis said Friday, “and I think a lot of people saw that we probably didn’t share it the best at the Greenbrier. So we really got back to who we were, because that needs to be our identity going forward, because we play a lot better when the ball’s moving fast.”

The Wahoos’ rebounding and defense were less than stellar against Queens (3-5), but on offense they turned in a ruthlessly efficient performance. The Hoos shot 53.3% from the floor overall and 45.5% from 3-point range.

Six players scored in double figures for Virginia (6-1): Thijs De Ridder (21 points), Sam Lewis (season-high 15), Johann Grünloh (13), Tillis (season-high 13), Chance Mallory (11) and Jacari White (11). Moreover, this game marked the first time in program history that six Cavaliers made at least two 3-pointers each.

“The thing that Ryan is building—Coach Odom—is five guys that can dribble, pass and shoot and that can make decisions with the ball,” Queens head coach Grant Leonard said.

This is Leonard’s 13th season on the staff at Queens, which previously competed in the NCAA’s Division II. Leonard, who’s in his fourth season leading the Royals’ program, remembers when Odom was head coach at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne.

“I have a huge amount of respect for what he’s built,” Leonard said.

Virginia, which never trailed Friday, led 46-29 at halftime, and it was 79-46 with 9:20 to play. From there, though, the Royals capitalized on multiple defensive breakdowns by the Cavaliers, who also struggled to keep their guests off the boards.

Queens finished with 18 offensive rebounds and turned them into 20 second-chance points. Equally concerning to Odom was the smaller Royals’ ability to finish around the basket. Queens scored 28 points in the paint (to 30 for UVA).

The Hoos’ defense is “not where we want it to be,” Odom said. “We’ve got to get better. Too many times we were getting beat off the bounce, getting caught in some communication errors.”

The 7-foot Grünloh (10) and the 5-foot-10 Mallory (eight) were the only Cavaliers with more than five rebounds.

Odom said his team’s “defensive rebounding was not where it needed to be in this particular game. We had it going in spurts, but it wasn’t a consistent effort overall, and the guys understand that. They understood that at halftime when we met with them. And there were too many 50/50 balls that we didn’t get tonight. We’ve got to play harder, and it’s got to mean a little bit more. The guys understand that, because the competition is going to continue to increase as we go about the season.”

UVA’s reserves contributed 37 points. Tillis, who had preseason knee surgery, made his 2025-26 debut at the Greenbrier. He looked more comfortable and more confident against Queens, hitting 3 of 4 shots from the floor, including both of his 3-point attempts, and going 5 for 5 from the line.

“Literally last week I told Coach Odom I said, ‘Hey, whenever you need me, just throw me in there. I got you,’ ” Tillis said. “So I’ve kind of taken on that role, just trying to be a leader and have these guys’ backs.

“I’ve just jumped into it. Like I said, wherever he needs me, I’ll be there. Coming  back, it was a little harder, obviously, because I haven’t been able to play with these guys for five games. So I had to kind of get back into the rhythm of things. But I think it’s coming along really fast and really well.”

The 6-foot-9 De Ridder made 8 of 10 shots from the floor, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc. Lewis, a transfer from Toledo, had his best game as a Cavalier. He was 3 for 5 from 3-point range and 6 for 9 overall. He added four assists.

“Sam’s a really good player,” Odom said, “and we have quite a few good players on our roster and guys that deserve time and deserve attention. But Sam understands that the open guy a lot of times is the go-to guy for us, and the more that we pass the ball to one another, the ball will find you. Certainly, we’re going to run plays for specific guys and try to get them shots, but I thought Sam did a nice job of picking his spots tonight, and most importantly, his defense was pretty good, too.”

UP NEXT
Two straight games away from JPJ await the Cavaliers. Virginia plays at Texas (6-2) on Wednesday as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge and then meets Dayton on Dec. 6 in Charlotte, N.C.

The Texas game will air on ESPNU at 9:15 p.m. ET. The Longhorns are coming off a win over No. 23 NC State at the Maui Invitational.

This will be the first men’s basketball game between UVA and Texas.

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