Stock Report For UVA Basketball: Malik Thomas and Dallin Hall Trending Up

Which Cavaliers were able to raise their stock last night against SMU?

Jan 13, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom calls out instructions during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

The No. 16 Virginia Cavaliers pulled off a tight 72-68 victory last night against SMU, bringing their overall record to 16-2 and 5-1 in conference play. This was not a comfortable matchup for either program by any means, but UVA entered the game prepared for a challenge.

With another win in the bag, let's take a look at which Cavaliers were able to raise their stock.

Malik Thomas

Jan 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas (1) looks to move the ball past SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) during the second half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The star of the game was undoubtedly Virginia's Malik Thomas, who led both programs with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Furthering his performance, he also recorded one assist and one steal. His dominant production determined the outcome of the game, and as a result, he is the top player whose stock rose.

"Every loss is a lesson for us," Thomas stated after the game, per Jeff White of Virginia Sports. "and I feel like that Virginia Tech game, if we didn't lose that, we wouldn't be in the position we are now. Obviously, you want to win and learn lessons from a win, but sometimes it's good enough to learn from a loss. So I think that showed us a lot of things, how to close games. I know there's points in the game where we could have closed it and stretched out even further, but [SMU is] a good team.”

Dallin Hall

Virginia’s Dallin Hall passes the ball against Louisville in the KFC Yum! Center Tuesday night. Jan. 13, 2026 | Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Guard Dallin Hall wrapped up the game with two rebounds, nine assists, one block and one steal. Hall's defensive abilities came through on the court, preventing SMU from surging ahead. The 6-foot-4 senior stayed on the heels of the Mustangs' Boopie Miller, who only scored 12 points. As head coach, Ryan Odom noted during his postgame press conference:

"Dallin's just the ultimate competitor. He's a tremendous leader. I encouraged him. I think he was 0-for-4 or 0-for-5, and I was like, 'Hey, keep shooting, dude, you're going to be fine.' He ended up not being fine in this particular game, but he will be fine. He understands, though, that he does so many other things for our team. He, in a lot of ways, is the foundation, especially in a first year. There's not a better player to have on your side when you're first coming in, and I'm really proud of what he's able to do and what he's done for our program so far at Virginia."

Thijs De Ridder

Jan 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs de Ridder (28) brings the ball up court against the SMU Mustangs during the first half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Freshman Thijs De Ridder was not the leading scorer of yesterday's game, but he still played an integral role in UVA's victory. By the end of the night, he had tallied 17 points and six rebounds, shooting 41.7% from the floor. His contributions toward the end of the matchup are what propelled Virginia ahead. However, this was far from his strongest performance, and at times, he appeared rather frazzled.

"Part of the key is just knowing your players, and sometimes when he gets in those moments, you have to take him out of the game just so he can take a deep breath, get himself back to neutral, and then go back in there," Odom stated after the game. "One mistake can become two, and he's not alone in that."