The Good, Bad and Ugly of No. 13 Virginia’s Win Over Virginia Tech

The Virginia Cavaliers clinched a tight victory during their regular-season finale.

Virginia Cavaliers guard Jacari White | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers just wrapped up their regular-season finale against the Virginia Tech Hokies, and fortunately, they ended on a high note. The Cavaliers clinched a 76-72 victory over the Hokies, bringing their record to 27-4 overall and 15-3 in conference play.

With this win now under their belt, let's take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of Saturday's rivalry meeting.

The Good

Virginia Cavaliers guard Sam Lewis | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

• The Cavaliers finally took a lead before the second half commenced, which is not their usual pattern. Once the clock ran down in the first, Virginia was ahead 41-25, shooting 50% from the field and 46% from three.
• Malik Thomas and Ugonna Onyenso took the lead for Virginia after posting 16 points. Thomas also logged two rebounds and two steals, while Onyenso recorded five rebounds, three blocks and one steal.
• UVA claims victory over its Commonwealth rival, and the Hoos' 27-4 record, tying them for fourth-most regular-season wins in program history.
• Junior guard Sam Lewis posted the second-highest number of points for Virginia, finishing the game with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal, while shooting 50.0% from the floor. Lewis tends to go on surges of strong production, and Saturday was one of those games.

UVA closes out the regular season with 76-72 win over Virginia Tech.

Virginia finishes 27-4, tied for the 4th-most regular season wins in program history. pic.twitter.com/n7VMBHooaB

— Preston Willett (@PrestonWillett) March 7, 2026

The Bad

Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas and Virginia Tech Hokies guard Tyler Johnson | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

• The Cavaliers allowed the Hokies to close the gap when the second half kicked off, bringing the score to 46-38 with 15:54 left on the clock.
• Dallin Hall fouled out toward the end of the game, but not before logging eight assists and two rebounds

The Ugly

Virginia Tech Hokies center Christian Gurdak and Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

• Throughout the afternoon, the Hokies continued to creep up on the Hoos, forcing Virginia to continue pulling ahead. The Cavaliers were unable to maintain a substantial lead, which could have easily sent a loss their way. Their largest lead this weekend was by 17 points.

• Virginia suffered a few scoring droughts, ultimately granting Virginia Tech permission to close the gap. However, this is how the Cavaliers have played throughout the season—tight scores and nail-biting finishes.

Despite a few hiccups along the way, the Hoos have had a remarkable 2025-26 campaign, ultimately leading them into the ACC Tournament as the No. 2 seed. Their season was filled with tight matchups nearly every week, but they still found a way to win, largely due to head coach Ryan Odom's leadership.

Odom is the winningest coach for Virginia first-year coach since Jeff Jones' season back in 1990-91. Not only were the Cavaliers running with a new head coach, but a large portion of their roster was new this year. All things considered, UVA stunned the nation in all the right ways.