Virginia men’s basketball authored one of the most dramatic comebacks in program history Tuesday night, erasing a 19-point deficit and outlasting a Notre Dame team that played its best basketball of the season. The game required two overtimes to determine a winner and tied the matched the program’s largest comeback victory in its history.
The Cavaliers (17-3, 6-2 ACC) scored on their first two possessions of the game, opening with a pair of free throws from Belgian freshman forward Thijs De Ridder, but the momentum quickly flipped. The Fighting Irish (11-10, 2-6 ACC) came out scorching hot, knocking down five of their first seven attempts from downtown and seven of their first 11 shots. Junior guard Braeden Shrewsberry set the tone by nailing four out of his first five shots from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from deep as the Irish took an early lead.
Virginia’s issues compounded as the first half went on. The Cavaliers committed a bevy of fouls early on, sending Notre Dame into the bonus as the under-12 media timeout commenced. A slow, lethargic start for Virginia left the team down 19 with 6:06 to go in the first period.
“[Notre Dame] got off to a great start,” Coach Ryan Odom said. “They were really comfortable, and we were uncomfortable. Get down 19 in the first half, and we were reeling a little bit.”
However, a 15-5 run fueled by De Ridder and freshman guard Chance Mallory shifted the momentum going into halftime. Virginia carried that energy into the second half after trimming the deficit to within one possession, thanks to a three-pointer from graduate forward Devin Tillis with less than 12 minutes to play in regulation.
“Fortunately, it began to turn a little bit,” Odom said. “We just tried to continue to grind over the course of the second half … We were able to force some misses.”
The run ballooned quickly. The Cavaliers went on a 17-2 run in the second half stretching over nearly seven minutes — De Ridder gave Virginia its first lead since the 9:05 mark in the second half. From there, the game developed into a possession-by-possession game, a battle of wills and momentum swings.
The Fighting Irish briefly regained control, taking a four-point lead with 2:30 remaining in the period. Junior guard Sam Lewis responded with one of his plentiful, timely threes to make it a one-point game with less than a minute to play in regulation. After a deep triple from sophomore guard Cole Certa put Notre Dame up two, Tillis tied the game with two clutch free throws to force overtime. Certa finished with a jaw-dropping 34-point performance. In the face of exceptional shooting by the Fighting Irish, Tillis’ free throws symbolized Virginia’s refusal to let a mediocre evening end in defeat.
That refusal defined both overtime periods. Time and time again, Virginia was pushed to the brink only to respond, leaning on composure and trust to stay afloat. Lewis’ game-tying three with just three seconds left to go in the first overtime — an acrobatic, twisting shot over multiple defenders — embodied that poise, a moment that felt inevitable only because of how calm Virginia had become under pressure.
In the second overtime, with fatigue undoubtedly setting in, the Cavaliers found their clarity and pace. Mallory’s go-ahead three with under two minutes to play, clutch free-throw shooting from De Ridder and graduate guard Dallin Hall and Lewis’ game-icing midrange two were all products of steadiness — Virginia’s offense, which struggled all night to find its rhythm, was finally clicking into place.
De Ridder and Lewis both had dominant performances. De Ridder posted 32 points, the first 30-point performance since Kyle Guy in 2018. Lewis had 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists — a stat line last matched by a Cavalier when Ty Jerome did the same on college basketball’s biggest stage in the 2019 Final Four win over Auburn. Virginia’s depth — from Mallory and Tillis to the steady late contributions across the lineup — reshaped the game after a sluggish opening half. What began as a night defined by sloppy play ended as one defined by resilience.
“So many great plays out there, it’s hard to recount all of them on both sides,” Odom said. “It made for a great college basketball game. It’s one of those that you hate [that] anyone ends up losing.”
Jan. 31 at 1:30 p.m., Virginia will head to Chestnut Hill, Mass. to take on Boston College at the Conte Forum. The Cavaliers will look to secure an early lead and carry momentum through the game, rather than having to fight back from a large deficit like tonight. The match will be streamed on The CW.
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