With Thijs de Ridder Now Cleared By The NCAA, Virginia Basketball Has A Clear Path to Compete For An ACC Title

De Ridder is a 6-8, 231-pound skilled power forward who played the last two seasons for Surne Bilbao Basket in Spain’s Liga Endesa. In 2024-25, De Ridder averaged 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds, shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from 3-point range. De Ridder averaged 6.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on 51.5 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent from 3-point range in 2023-24.

He appeared in six games for Belgium in the 2025 European Championship Qualifiers and also participated in the FIBA U20 European Championship in 2022 and 2023. He led Belgium to a fourth-place finish in 2023, averaging 16.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in seven contests. De Ridder was named Belgian Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, and Big Man of the Year in 2023 and one of Liga ACB’s Top 5 Young Guys in 2025.

Odom has been busy crafting a team that was built to play with pace and shoot the ball well from the perimeter. Our own Aidan Baller recently broke down why he thought UVA could be among the best three-point shooting teams in the country this season:

"So what will this team's style of play be? 

On the opposite side of the spectrum from Tony Bennett's, slow paced defensive style of play, Odom has quickly emphasized speed in summer camp, something he expects his team to play with his coming fall. Odom has also had former Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni and current Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle in the building, both of whom are known for producing high-paced offenses. Carlisle, who led the Pacers to the NBA Finals this past June, had his squad finish as the seventh-fastest playing team in the NBA, according to Statmuse. 

Current players have also emphasized this with San Francisco transfer Malik Thomas saying, "Our pace is unbelievable. We're going to bring a different style of basketball to Virginia, shooting a lot of threes and getting downhill," said Thomas in an interview with The Sabre during summer media availability. 

Besides pace, Thomas also notably emphasized three-point shooting, something Odom clearly emphasized in this transfer portal cycle. Below is a list of a few of the Hoos' acquisitions and their three-point shooting percentage this past season."

Malik Thomas: 39.4% 

Jacari White: 39.8%

Devin Tillis: 39.5%

Dallin Hall: 34.3%

Sam Lewis: 44.4% 

Johann Grünloh: 35.4% 

Thijs de Ridder: 38% 

Those numbers should be a big indicator of how this team wants to play this season and having an established identity is going to be huge on a team compromised primarily of transfers.

In a recent article, CBS Sports analyst Matt Norlander named Virginia as one of the most improved teams in the country next season:

"After spending last week on the recruiting trail and checking in with a medley of coaches, I can report that many a coach in college hoops believes Ryan Odom's Virginia Cavaliers will take a big jump in his first season. The Wahoos went 15-17 last season, fated to toil under Ron Sanchez in the wake of Tony Bennett's head-turning retirement in mid-October. Odom was plucked from nearby VCU, given a $10 million-plus roster budget for the upcoming season and has been able to load up on a team that figures to be top-five in the ACC.

BYU transfer Dallin Hall and former Kansas State forward Ugonna Onyenso have to vastly improve their production from last season, and the additions of three high-level mid-major scorers will give Virginia plenty to work with on offense. Malik Thomas (19.9 ppg at San Francisco), Jacari White (17.1 ppg at North Dakota State) and Sam Lewis (16.2 ppg at Toledo) will likely combine to put up more than 30 points per night. Then there's one of the best gets of the offseason, Belgium forward Thijs De Ridder, who has two years of professional experience in Spain underneath his belt. The 6-foot-8 combo forward put up 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 39.1% from 3 in one of the best Euro leagues.

Odom -- who has a career .636 winning percentage over more than a decade of coaching mid-major programs -- is ready for this. Virginia has the pieces. I'll be surprised if the Cavs aren't a single-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament next season."

The ACC is open next year too. While Duke is going to open the season as the favorite, they don't appear to be as good as the Cooper Flagg led team from a year ago. Louisville has brought in a highly-ranked transfer class and appears to be a contender, but they have not proven it yet. NC State and North Carolina also face major questions. I am not guaranteeing anything, but the door is open for a veteran team that has an identity and a proven coach to step in and have a big year.

And I think that team just might be the Virginia Cavaliers.