Who will lead Virginia Basketball in scoring this season?

One of the keys to Virginia’s surprising men’s basketball success in 2025-26 was its balanced offensive attack.

Yes, freshman forward Thijs De Ridder was the Cavaliers’ clear go-to guy. En route to first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors, the 6-foot-9 Belgian averaged a team-high 15.6 points per game and led his team in scoring in 16 of its 36 games.

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But Virginia was far from a one-man show. Two other players, Malik Thomas (12.4) and Sam Lewis (10.6), also averaged in double figures, and two more guards (Jacari White and Chance Mallory) each chipped in nine points or more off the bench. Seven different players led the Cavaliers in scoring in at least one game: De Ridder (16 times), Thomas (eight), Ugonna Onyenso, White and Lewis (three each), Chase Mallory and Dallin Hall (once each).

Despite losing four rotation regulars (Thomas, White, Onyenso and Devin Tillis) to graduation, coach Ryan Odom appears to have another deep roster for the upcoming season. So while all eyes will be on De Ridder again, there’s no guarantee he’ll still be on top — which could mean problems for opponents.

Here’s a look at Virginia’s three most likely scoring leaders in 2027:

1. Thijs De Ridder

Putting anyone else atop this list would be foolish. De Ridder used his strength, footwork, and high basketball IQ gleaned from playing professionally in Europe to get to the basket against younger, smaller players and showed decent shooting range and touch (36 percent on 3-pointers). He figures to be even better in his second and final season at the American collegiate level.

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But now that opposing ACC coaches have seen De Ridder, they’ll surely design defenses specifically to stop him. Easier said that done, but he’ll likely see more double-teams than he did as a freshman — as soon as he touches the ball.

De Ridder is a capable passer and is unselfish enough to look for open teammates. If he can improve a subpar assist-to-turnover ratio (57 to 64), the Cavaliers can be even…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lead-virginia-basketball-scoring-season-140006736.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-19 14:00:00

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