No. 14 Cavaliers Throw Block Party at JPJ

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

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Against an opponent that came to John Paul Jones Arena tied for third place in the ACC, the Virginia Cavaliers turned in a ruthlessly efficient performance Tuesday night (Feb. 24).

A defense led by 7-footers Johann Grünloh and Ugonna Onyenso fueled an offense that grew more potent as the game went on. No. 14 UVA never trailed in a 90-61 rout of NC State before an amped-up crowd of 13,526 at JPJ.

In the second half, Virginia (25-3 overall, 13-2 ACC) shot 70 percent from the floor and scored 58 points. NC State (19-9, 10-5), which came in averaging 84.9 points per game, shot only 29.4 percent from the floor overall.

“Our guys were ready to play,” UVA head coach Ryan Odom said.

For the Wahoos, their margin of victory was their largest against the Wolfpack since January 1991. Five players scored in double figures for Virginia, led by 6-foot-9 forward Thijs De Ridder (19 points), and Grünloh and Onyenso combined to block 12 shots.

Grünloh finished with a season-high eight rejections, and Onyenso had four.

“They were playing volleyball at the basket,” said Will Wade, NC State’s first-year coach.

For Virginia’s perimeter players, having a 7-footer at the back of the defense “gives us a lot of freedom to really execute the scout, be aggressive, take certain things away,” point guard Dallin Hall said, “because we know we have those two elite rim protectors behind us.”

The win was the Hoos’ second over the Wolfpack this season. They also met Jan. 3 in Raleigh, N.C., where UVA prevailed 76-61 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score might suggest.

“Look, Virginia’s a great team,” Wade said Tuesday. “Virginia could go to the Final Four ... The crowd was in here great tonight. 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.”

The Cavaliers were coming off a close win over Miami at JPJ, a game preceded by an emotional ceremony in which former head coach Tony Bennett was honored.

If UVA’s date with NC State lacked the hoopla that made Saturday such a special occasion, it was just as important from a basketball standpoint. And the victory kept the Cavaliers in contention for the ACC regular-season title.

We’ll see you all in Durham 👋 pic.twitter.com/RsFp4kaiqK

— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) February 25, 2026

Virginia, which has won nine straight games, remains in second place in the ACC, behind only top-ranked Duke (26-2, 14-1). The Blue Devils also won big Tuesday night, romping at 100-56 at Notre Dame, adding to the anticipation for what’s to come Saturday in Durham, N.C.

At noon, in a game to air on ESPN, Virginia will take on Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“I think every time you lace it up, you have to be ready to play in this conference,” Odom said, “and we were able to hold serve at home, which certainly was our goal ,to win these two games one at a time. And we're just going to do what we always do, and that's get ready for the next one. We know the challenge that lies ahead there. The No. 1 team in the country, extremely well coached, extremely talented and together and tough. And so we're going to have to play our best to have a chance to win.”

Virginia will be seeking its first win at Cameron since Feb. 7, 2022. In that game, Reece Beekman hit a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to lift the Cavaliers to a 69-68 victory over the No. 7 Blue Devils.

UVA’s most recent win over Duke came on Feb. 11, 2023. That was an overtime victory at JPJ.

Against the Wolfpack, the Hoos went scoreless for a six-minute stretch of the first place but still led by 13 at the break. An altercation that led to the ejection of NC State reserve Scottie Ebube, who came off the bench to shove Virginia swingman Sam Lewis, halted the proceedings at the 17:35 mark of the second half.

“The refs handled it well and handled it the way they needed to handle it,” Odom said. “Obviously, they looked at the film.”

After play resumed, Virginia stretched its lead to 18, going up 51-33 on a lob pass from Chance Mallory to Onyenso for a dunk with 14:52 to play. With 10 minutes remaining, UVA led 60-48, and a blowout did not seem imminent. But the Cavaliers steamrolled the Pack, as Wade put it, scoring on virtually every possession in the final 10 minutes.

The Hoos’ final points came on a vicious slam dunk by guard Elijah Gertrude that brought the crowd to its feet and set off a frenzied celebration among his teammates on the bench.

“I think this team is just really hungry, even starving, to go out there and put our best foot forward every night,” Hall said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who are coming from different teams, different situations in the past couple of years, that really have just bought into Virginia, and we really want to represent the University well. We want to play for each other. We feel like a strong brotherhood. And so we just want to make sure every night we go out and give our best. I think we're starting to get better at the right time, which is really important, and we just want to keep every day, stacking days.”

Johann threw a block party tonight 👋

Johann Grunloh recorded a career-high EIGHT blocks tonight vs. NC State@UVAMensHoops | @VirginiaSports | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/NuLjdP0z1P

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) February 25, 2026

A freshman from Germany, Grünloh also impressed in UVA’s win over Miami. About a dozen friends and relatives from Germany, including his parents, were in the stands for that game, and they were at JPJ again Tuesday night.

“It’s so great having my family here, having guys from my old club here,” Grünloh said. “The owner and the GM of my old club, they're supporting me here. It just feels great. In the game, it kind of supports you a little bit, kind of boosts you a little bit, if you know somebody's watching you live.”

Odom said Grünloh “was unbelievable tonight. Having eight blocks, it's impressive, and he was just very clean with it. He was there with his body and in between them and the basket, and a a couple times came out of nowhere, like he did [against Miami]. I’m just really excited for his development, and the energy that he's playing with right now is really, really solid.”

Standouts abounded for the Hoos in this one. De Ridder made 7 of 10 shots from the floor, and Lewis (16 points) hit 7 of 11 shots from the floor. Malik Thomas contributed 12 points, and Jacari White and Mallory came off the bench to add 15 and 11 points, respectively.

In their first season under Odom, the Cavaliers have proved to as unselfish as they are deep.

“I think it’s just a credit to the guys and their willingness to play a role,” Odom said. “And when they get in there, they know it's gonna be their time to not just show what they can do, but play together. I think that's what this team does better than most teams, is they play the game together in a really good way. They're not selfish, they pass to one another, and by no means are we perfect, but I think they bought into team. I'm just excited about that.”

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