Virginia Basketball's Latest Stock Report After Defeating Stanford

Which Virginia Cavaliers saw their stock rise after last night's victory?

Jan 7, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Chance Mallory (2) dribbles the ball as California Golden Bears guard Dai Dai Ames (7) defends during the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

After securing a third consecutive victory in conference play last night, the Virginia Cavaliers are back on track in the ACC. This time, they defeated Stanford 70-55, bringing their records to 14-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

UVA has been seeing improvements on both sides of the ball, primarily due to their rising core of players. Last night, three Cavaliers saw their stock rise after posting strong results. Let's take a look at who saw the most growth.

Thijs De Ridder

Jan 10, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Chisom Okpara (10) drives to the basket as Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs de Ridder (28) defends in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Once again, Belgian forward Thijs De Ridder saw his stock rise after posting a game high of 22 points. Along the way, he recorded three rebounds and two assists while shooting 72.7% from the floor. If his size of 6-foot-9, 238 pounds wasn't intimidating enough, his elite scoring abilities add to the shock factor. As a result, the Cardinal struggled to stop him time after time.

"Yeah, I thought he was awesome. Yeah, I mean, he took what the defense gave to him. You know, when he starts driving to the basket, it's like I'm looking at him like, man, he is athletic, he's strong, you know, he's physical getting in there. It's got to be hard for the opponent to guard that. I was most proud of his post-ups in the second half. They didn't come double, and he did a nice job of just getting to work his way to the basket. Got a bucket, got fouled, and you know, that's certainly you know what we need him to do."

Chance Mallory

Jan 10, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Chance Mallory (2) shoots the ball while being fouled by Stanford Cardinal forward Aidan Cammann (52) in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

With Mallory being only a freshman, it's even more impressive to watch him on the court; he plays as if he's been in college basketball for quite some time, as does De Ridder. During his latest matchup, he posted 13 points, four rebounds and three assists, shooting a clean 50.0% from the floor. Stanford's head coach Kyle Smith even drew attention to his performance, per Jeff White of Virginia Sports, stating, "I thought Mallory played really well, and I think Ebuka just ran out of gas."

The 5-foot-10, 186-pound freshman finds his way around the court with what seems to be ease. So far this season, he is averaging 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game at 47.1% from floor. Although he's one of UVA's younger stars, he is rapidly developing and is turning into one of the top players at John Paul Jones Arena.

Malik Thomas

Jan 10, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas (1) drives to the basket past Stanford Cardinal forward Cameron Grant (20) in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Veteran guard Malik Thomas is another one of Virginia's stars who saw his stock rise once again. Now, Thomas wasn't a player to take center stage last night, but he did contribute 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists. He led both programs in rebounds, edging out Okorie, who logged six.

The Cavaliers' next game is scheduled for Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. EST against Louisville. This is expected to be a grueling matchup, one that fans should plan to tune into.