It’s a big week for the Virginia Cavaliers. Fans had their second chance to storm the football field last Saturday when the ‘Hoos earned a 27-2 rivalry win over the Virginia Tech Hokies. Now, the football team (10-2) is looking towards this week’s ACC Championship matchup against the Duke Blue Devils, with UVA favored to win the title by 2.5 points. The end of the regular season continues to add to the program’s turn-around season.
Still, the rest of the UVA sports world spins on. Read on for the top headlines in Virginia sports this week.
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Notable News
Virginia Rolls To Easy Victory Over Queens – Reuters
The Virginia men’s basketball team (6-1) cruised to a 94-69 victory over Queens on Friday in John Paul Jones Arena. The game was marked by incredible offensive streaks for the ‘Hoos, including Thijs De Ridder’s 10 points in the first six minutes and Chance Mallory’s five points in a span of 12 seconds to start the second half.
De Ridder had another statement game, leading the team with 21 and two blocks. Sam Lewis followed with 15 points while Devin Tillis and Johann Gruenloh had 13 apiece. The team effort continues for the ‘Hoos, hitting a collective 45.5% from three on Friday.
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J’Mari Taylor leads 15 UVA football players on All-ACC teams – Streaking the Lawn
It’s certainly a historic season for the UVA football team. Fifteen Virginia football players earned All-ACC recognition this season–the program’s highest number of All-ACC nominees since 1996.
Notably, J’Mari Taylor is the first running back to earn First-Team All-ACC since Alvin Pearman in 2004. He’s also the first back to tally 1,000 yards in a season since Jordan Ellis in 2018.
Kyle Guy: The Bigger Picture – USA Basketball
Virginia basketball legend Kyle Guy came out of retirement to return to the game as a player. Guy was offered an Exhibit 10 contract from the Pacers with the G League, before getting a call from USA Basketball to play for the November 2025 USA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team.
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In Game 1, Guy tallied 11 points and two rebounds in 15 minutes. He followed that up with 17 points, four three-pointers, and three rebounds in 16 minutes in Game 2.
The team secured two wins against Nicaragua in the opening qualifying window. The team looks to the next qualifying round against the Dominican Republic in February.
Virginia’s Will Bettridge Receives ACC’s 2025 Jim Tatum Award – Atlantic Coast Conference
The good news for Virginia football hasn’t stopped rolling in. On December 1, the ACC announced that senior placekicker Will Bettridge was named the recipient for the 2025 Jim Tatum Award. The award is given annually to the top student-athlete across all of ACC football.
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This is certainly not Bettridge’s first academic honor. He’s a three-time ACC All-Academic team member and has earned ACC Academic Honor Roll, among other notable recognitions. Athletically, he is Virginia’s third all-time scorer with 302 career points – 106 points from the 2025 season alone.
Social Media Dive
Check out this quick play from Guy for USA Basketball against Nicaragua.
Meanwhile, Virginia continues their new podcast Inside Virginia Athletics with Carla Williams. IN the recent episode, Williams sat down with Jenny Boucek – former Virginia basketball player and current Indiana Pacers assistant coach.
Finally, check out some postgame comments from QB1 Chandler Morris.
