Three Players Who Will Decide Virginia's March Madness Run

Which Cavaliers are expected to have the greatest impact?

Virginia Cavaliers guard Dallin Hall and Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Tre'von Spillers | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers are quickly approaching their First Round matchup in the upcoming NCAA Tournament against Wright State. Although the Hoos are favored to come out on top and advance to the Second Round, the Raiders aren't likely to hand them an easy victory—not at this point in the year.

Wright State is riding 23-11 overall and 15-5 in conference play, while UVA is 29-5 overall and 15-3 in the ACC. Looking ahead at what's to come during the First Round and beyond, the Cavaliers will need to heavily rely on three key players.

Throughout their 2025-26 campaign, these are players who have been fairly consistent on the court with a high level of production on offense and elite defense.

Thijs De Ridder

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

This one shouldn't come as a major surprise. As a first-year forward, it wasn't clear what the Hoos should expect from De Ridder, but needless to say, he's been the leading force for Virginia. He continues to lead with 15.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while recording 1.6 assists and shooting 50.8% from the floor.

Ugonna Onyenso

Virginia Cavaliers center Ugonna Onyenso and Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Onyenso is not a leading scorer for the Hoos, but he is a major factor in another category—blocks. The 7'0" center averaged three blocks per game, leading the ACC. When looking at college basketball as a whole, Onyenso is still found near the top for average blocks per game, trailing just one other player, Kyle Evans of UCI. As the Hoos enter the NCAA Tournament, his remarkable ability to block shots will be just as imperative as De Ridder's ability to score.

Chance Mallory

Virginia Cavaliers guard Chance Mallory | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Mallory is only a freshman, but he manages to serve as a game-changer for Virginia. Averaging 9.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, while shooting 42.1% from the floor, Mallory doesn't headline as much as De Ridder, but he is not a player to be overlooked, either. In fact, Mallory was recently named to the NABC Division I All-District East second team. His skill on the court is stunning, particularly considering he is only a freshman.

Virginia's First Round matchup of the NCAA Tournament is scheduled for Friday, March 20, against Wright State, with tipoff at 1:50 p.m. ET. If the Cavaliers win, they will advance to the Second Round and continue making a March Madness run.

However, if this trio of players isn't in their strongest form, the Hoos have little chance of making it far in the Tournament.