Virginia walked out of College Park with an 87-83 win over Maryland, and it took a furious finish to do it. The atmosphere inside Xfinity Center was loud enough to register on Apple Watches, but the Cavaliers still found a way to survive and come away with a signature road victory.
The biggest reason was Lewis, who turned in a career-high 28 points and kept Virginia alive every time Maryland seemed ready to pull away. Whenever the Terrapins kept getting to the free throw line, Lewis answered with a clutch bucket, including the basket that put Virginia ahead. He was the steady hand in the comeback.
Virginia’s path to the finish, though, was messy. Maryland attempted 12 more free throws, but the Cavaliers made life harder on themselves by hitting just 63% of their own free throws and piling up careless turnovers.
Most of those giveaways came from mental mistakes rather than Maryland’s defense. Each time Virginia got within a bucket or two of taking control, it seemed to give the ball right back and let the Terrapins off the hook.
That made the late-game push even more important, because Virginia did not take the lead until late. Against a stronger opponent, that kind of sloppiness could easily turn into a loss.
There were a few other bright spots. Anya and Carrere only combined for six points, but they made real contributions on offense by setting solid screens, forcing defenders into the paint and moving the ball well. They also combined for five assists, and the points they did score came at key moments to stop Maryland runs.
The long ball was another slow burn. Virginia made only three 3-pointers in the first 37 minutes, which is far from normal for this group.
That was especially notable given how Maryland had been beaten by Georgetown on a barrage from deep. The decisive shot from long range eventually came from Thijs De Ridder, but it took Virginia too long to get that part of its offense rolling.
Adekunle had a rough night. In 19 minutes, he finished with zero points, two rebounds and three assists, and he struggled defensively as well while picking up fouls. Some of those whistles were questionable, but even so, he gave Virginia too many easy chances to send him to the bench.
The scoring load also fell heavily on Virginia’s main group. Every starter scored at least 12 points except Adekunle, and the offense was largely carried by De Ridder, Lewis, Chance Mallory and Johann Grunloh. That quartet accounted for nearly all of the production, and that imbalance is something to keep an eye on going forward.
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Virginia Just Passed Its First Real Road Test
Virginias first real road test of the season came with the kind of early trouble that can expose a young team, but the Cavaliers handled it well enough to leave College Park with an 87-83 win over Maryland at XFINITY Center. The victory kept Virginia unbeaten at 5-0 and stretched its recent success in the series to 10 of the last 11 meetings, a useful marker for a team still trying to establish its identity away from home.
What made this one stand out was the way Virginia kept finding answers as the game tightened. Sam Lewis delivered a career-best scoring night, while Thijs De Ridder, Johann Grnloh and Chance Mallory all chipped in to help steady the Cavaliers through a tense finish. For a team that had not yet been tested in this kind of setting, it was the sort of result that can carry real weight later in the ACC race. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Returns To A Season-Shaping Chance Against Cal
A week off gave Virginia a chance to reset, and now the Cavaliers come back into a game that feels like one of the more important ones left on the schedule. Both Virginia and California have had disappointing seasons, but this matchup still carries real weight because it offers a chance to build something more stable before the year gets away completely. The Cavaliers also get to lean on a defense that has shown more playmaking ability than the record might suggest.
California brings its own problems into the meeting, especially on offense, where turnovers have been a recurring issue. Virginias defense has been better at forcing mistakes than most parts of the team have been at sustaining momentum, and that gives the Cavaliers a path to control the game if they can keep the pressure on. It is the kind of late-season spot where a single clean performance can change the tone around a program, and Virginia has a legitimate opening to make this one count. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Still Has One Big Problem After Much-Needed Cal Win
A much-needed win finally gave Virginia a little breathing room Saturday night at Scott Stadium, where the Cavaliers rolled past Cal 36-7 to snap a 1-4 skid. The defense did plenty of the heavy lifting, turning the game with big plays and helping Virginia get back on track after a rough stretch that had put the season in a precarious spot.
Still, the offense did not exactly erase every concern. Virginia struggled to find rhythm early and has now topped 15 points only twice since Sept. 27, leaving the Cavaliers at 5-5 overall and 3-4 in ACC play with rivalry games looming as the real test of where this season goes next. The win was necessary, but the bigger questions around consistency on offense are still waiting to be answered. [Read more 🡒]