No. 2 Seed Virginia Battles NC State in ACC Quarterfinals

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 2 seed Virginia (27-4) battles No. 7 seed NC State (20-12) in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Thursday, March 12. Tipoff at Spectrum Center is set for Noon on ESPN2 and Virginia Sports Radio Network.

For Openers

• UVA is averaging 80.9 points, most since 85 ppg in 2000-01.
• UVA has scored 80 or more points in 18 games (most since 21 in 2000-01).
• UVA ranks 14th in the NET rankings and 20th in the kenpom.com rankings.

Broadcast Information

• The Virginia-NC State game will be televised on ESPN2, streamed on ESPN.com/watch and broadcast on ESPN Radio, Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
• Live statistics are available on VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports app.

UVA All-Time in the ACC Tournament

• Virginia is the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament for the sixth time (1982, 1983, 2007, 2016, 2023) and first since 2023.
• UVA has posted an 8-5 mark as the No. 2 seed in tournament, advancing to the ACC Tournament final (and losing all four contests) in 1982 (Greensboro), 1983 (Atlanta), 2016 (Washington, D.C.) and 2023 (Greensboro).
• The Cavaliers are 47-67 all-time in the ACC Tournament and 8-15 in Charlotte, reaching the title game in 1990 and 1994.
• UVA captured ACC Tournament titles as the No. 6 seed in 1976, No. 1 seed in 2014 and No. 1 seed in 2018.
• UVA is 28-37 in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament.
• UVA has advanced to the semifinals in eight of the last 11 ACC tournaments.

The New Head Coach

• Ryan Odom was named the University of Virginia’s Dean and Markel Families Men’s Head Basketball Coach on March 22.
• He spent the last two seasons at VCU, leading the Rams to a 52-21 record and 2025 NCAA Tournament berth
• VCU won the 2025 Atlantic-10 Tournament and shared the A-10 regular-season championship.
• UVA is Odom’s fifth stint as a collegiate head coach. In 12 seasons, he has compiled a record of 224-127, including stops at Utah State (2021-23), UMBC (2017-2021), Lenoir-Rhyne (2016), Charlotte (2015, interim).
• Odom led UMBC, Utah State and VCU to the NCAA Tournament during his second season at those schools.
• Odom coached UMBC to an upset against Virginia in 2018 NCAA Tournament, marking the first time a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed in the event’s history.
• Odom is the first UVA coach to start his tenure 5-0, surpassing the Cavaliers’ first coach Henry Lannigan (4-0 in 1905-06).
• Odom’s 27 wins are the most wins for a UVA first-year head coach, surpassing Jeff Jones’ 21 wins in 1990-91.
• Odom’s 27 are also the most for a men’s basketball head coach at UVA since Tony Bennett’s 35 in 2018-19.
• Odom’s 27 wins rank second for a first-year head coach in the ACC. The only coach to win more games in his debut season was North Carolina’s Bill Guthridge (34 in 1998). Pat Kelsey (Louisville in 2025) and Jon Scheyer (Duke in 2023) also won 27.

De Ridder Leads All-ACC Hoos

• Thijs De Ridder was named All-ACC First Team and All-Rookie, while Ugonna Onyenso was named to the All-Defensive team.
• De Ridder ranked 15th in the ACC in scoring (15.9 ppg), ninth in field goal percentage (51.3%) and 17th in rebounding (6.3 rpg), and had 11 20-point games including a career-high 32 points at Notre Dame.
• Onyenso led the ACC and ranked sixth nationally with 2.6 blocks per game.

All-Time vs. NC State

• Virginia is 73-87 all-time vs. NC State in the series that dates to 1912-13.
• UVA is 3-15 against NC State in the ACC Tournament, including a 3-9 mark in the quarterfinals and 1-3 record in Charlotte.
• No. 10 seed NC State defeated No. 3 seed Virginia 73-65 in overtime in the last meeting between the teams at the ACC Tournament in 2024 in Washington, D.C.
• The 2024 ACC Tournament win helped propel the Wolfpack to the NCAA Tournament and eventual Final Four berth.
• UVA swept the season series with the Wolfpack, winning 76-61 in Raleigh and 90-61 in Charlottesville.
• UVA has a three-game win streak in the series, including a 70-67 win in the lone meeting between the teams in 2024-25.
• UVA is 3-22 against the Wolfpack on neutral courts.
• UVA is 4-1 vs. NC State in the last five meetings and 6-4 in the last 10.

Last Time vs. The Wolfpack

• Thijs De Ridder scored 19 points and Johann Grünloh blocked eight shots as then-No. 11 Virginia defeated NC State 90-61 on Feb. 24 at John Paul Jones Arena.
• Sam Lewis (16), Jacari White (15), Malik Thomas (12) and Chance Mallory (11) all reached double figures.
• UVA scored 58 points and shot 70% in the second half.
• NC State shot a season-low 29.4% and its 19 points in the first half were also a season low.
• Paul McNeil, Jr. led the Wolfpack with 22 points.

Virginia Standard

• The Virginia Standard is to pursue excellence and is built on the six pillars of humility, passion, unity, servanthood, thankfulness and accountability,
  • We play with pace, share the basketball and our defensive style is to dictate and disrupt.

Hoo Are These Cavaliers?

• The 2025-26 roster is highlighted by 12 newcomers, including Dallin Hall (BYU), Malik Thomas (San Francisco), Devin Tillis (UC Irvine), Jacari White (North Dakota State), Ugonna Onyenso (Kansas State), Sam Lewis (Toledo) and Martin Carrere (VCU).
• UVA added European imports Thijs De Ridder (Bilbao Basket), Johann Grünloh (RASTA Vechta) and true freshmen Silas Barksdale, Chance Mallory and Owen Odom.
• Redshirt sophomores Elijah Gertrude, Carter Lang and Desmond Roberts are the lone returners from last year’s team.
• De Ridder leads UVA in scoring (15.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg), while Thomas (12.1 ppg), Lewis (10.4 ppg) and Mallory (9.6 ppg) are UVA’s other leading scorers.
• Onyenso leads the team in blocks (2.6 bpg) and Hall leads in assists (4.3 apg).
• UVA is averaging 80.9 points and holding foes to 68.3 ppg.
• UVA’s +12.6 scoring margin is its largest since the 2018-19 NCAA championship squad’s +15.3 margin.
• Seven different Cavaliers have led the team in scoring (Thijs De Ridder, Dallin Hall, Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory, Ugonna Onyenso, Malik Thomas, Jacari White).
• UVA averaged 77.3 ppg and holds foes to 69.6 ppg in ACC play.

Hoos Among ACC Leaders

• Virginia ranks first in the ACC in blocks (6.2 bpg), rebounding (40.8) and offensive rebounding (13.5), second in field goal percentage defense (39.7%), third in scoring defense (68.3 ppg), scoring margin (+12.6), rebounding margin (+8.1), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.305) and defensive rebounds (27.3 rpg) and fourth in assists (16.8 apg), 3-pointers (10.1) and assist/turnover ratio (1.55).
• Thijs De Ridder ranks 15th in scoring (15.9 ppg), ninth in field goal percentage (51.3%) and 17th in rebounding (6.3 rpg).
• Dallin Hall ranks first in assist/turnover ratio (3.3) and 12th in assists (4.3 apg).
• Ugonna Onyenso leads the ACC in blocks at 2.6 bpg, while Johann Grünloh ranks third in blocks at 2.4 bpg.
• Chance Mallory ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (2.8), seventh in steals (1.7 spg), 15th in assists (3.5 apg) and 21st in free throw percentage (76.7%).
• Jacari White ranks 15th in 3-pointers made per game (2.2).

On The Horizon

• The Virginia-NC State winner will play in the ACC Tournament semifinals on Friday, March 13 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN/2.