No. 13 Virginia wraps up No. 2 seed in ACC with 75-70 win over Wake Forest

Wake Forest forward Cooper Schwieger (13) has his shot blocked by Virginia center Johann Grünloh (17) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons)

By MIKE BARBER Associated Press

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Thijs De Ridder scored 16 points and No. 13 Virginia outlasted Wake Forest 75-70 on Tuesday night to secure the No. 2 seed and a double-bye in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

Jacari White added 14 points and Johann Grunloh had 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks as the Cavaliers (26-4, 14-3) beat the Demon Deacons for the 14th time in the last 16 meetings.

Coming off a humbling loss at No. 1 Duke in which they missed 28 of 35 3-point attempts, the Cavaliers struggled again from long range. Virginia missed its first eight 3-point attempts and went 3 for 17 from beyond the arc in the opening half.

The Cavaliers were better after halftime and finished 10 of 32 from deep, including a 3 by Malik Thomas that made it 71-62 with 1:23 left. Thomas finished with 11 points.

Mekhi Mason scored 26 points and Juke Harris had 21 for the Demon Deacons (15-15, 6-11), who kept the outcome in doubt until the final seconds. Wake Forest got within 73-70 with 6.1 seconds to play, but Virginia’s Dallin Hall made two free throws with 5.2 seconds left to seal it.

The game was tied 22-all with 4:48 left in the first half before the Cavaliers went on a 10-2 run and went to the locker room ahead 32-24.

It was a dreadful shooting half for both teams. They combined to go 18 of 60 from the floor.

Up next

Wake Forest: Hosts California on Saturday.

Virginia: Hosts rival Virginia Tech on Saturday.

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