UVA big man crowned as one of the ACC's elite entering 2026/2027

Virginia basketball PF Thijs De Ridder was excellent for the Cavaliers in 2025/2026, finishing the season as the team's leading scorer and rebounder. He was able to do a lot of different things for Ryan Odom and Co. on both ends of the floor, and now he's begun to garner quite a bit of national attention and recognition heading into the 2026/2027 season.

In one of his most recent ACC-oriented "X" posts, Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports' top college basketball insider, named De Ridder on his 2026/2027 preseason 1st-team All-ACC squad alongside some other big names.

All-ACC Preseason First-Team. pic.twitter.com/JCyZYl823C
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 28, 2026

An improved cast should benefit De Ridder this year

As mentioned earlier, De Ridder did a little bit of everything for UVA basketball last season, and he could have an even more productive year in 2026 with the players around him getting better this offseason. If guys like Chance Mallory can provide more of an offensive spark and Sam Lewis continues to be a threat from deep, it'll start to take some defensive pressure off of De Ridder in general, especially in and around the paint.

Also, with Johann Grünloh gaining weight and being more of a scoring threat inside this year, De Ridder could find himself in more 1-on-1 matchups in the intermediate areas of the floor. There were a lot of times last season, especially in the later part of the year and in the NCAA Tournament, when defenders were just flocking to De Ridder because they knew that UVA didn't have anyone to play off of him.

The Cavaliers didn't have that effective or consistent scorer down low that he could combo off of or even pass the ball to once the opposing power forward closed out on his shots. A defense not having to worry about opposing centers being able to create their own shots is obviously a huge benefit, and if that changes this upcoming season with Grünloh, then De Ridder will definitely be able to limit the number of double teams he faces.

Top 10 Sophomores Primed to Breakout Next Year: @gwizzy12 and @thatboydhill dropped some of their favorite sophomores they think can take the next step. pic.twitter.com/lcSdgwMFij
— Sleepers Media 💤🏀 (@SleepersMedia) June 1, 2026

Ultimately, seeing Thijs De Ridder on Rothstein's preseason All-Conference team alongside Duke star C Patrick Ngongba II (a Manassas, VA, native) and Louisville's potential NBA lottery pick Flory Bidunga is very exciting. De Ridder is a lethal scorer, and some NBA teams could see him as a potential first-round pick despite his age.

Wahoo Nation already knew De Ridder was great, but I think it's fair to say that they didn't realize he would be recognized in this fashion yet.

Add us as a preferred source on Google