cbs42
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — When Virginia coach Ryan Odom decided to bring back four of his top six scorers from last season's 30-win team, he made a conscious choice to let them play through mistakes and stay on the floor.
That approach paid off on Friday night as the sixth-ranked Cavaliers rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to beat Maryland 87-83 in their first true road test of the season. Thijs De Ridder, Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory, and Johann Grunloh all logged heavy minutes, leaning on their experience to fuel the comeback.
"These guys have been in some battles," Odom said. "There's no question about it. The pressure was on us to play better if we were going to have a chance to win and play more like ourselves."
Grunloh, a 7-footer who split time last season with departed big man Ugonna Onyenso, played 37 minutes against the Terrapins. Mallory, a sophomore point guard, logged 35 minutes. It's a stark contrast from last season when Odom distributed minutes evenly across a nine-man rotation of transfers and freshmen.
"You think about it, these guys are back. They've been in big games, they've established themselves, way different than last year," Odom said. "Last year, everybody was new. You couldn't tell the difference between the starting lineup and the guys that came in off the bench. Now you can, and that's not the bench's fault."
Lewis, a 6-foot-7 senior who began his career at Toledo, poured in a career-high 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting. He was especially lethal after halftime, going 8 of 9 from the field and repeatedly slicing through the Maryland defense for layups. The performance silenced a red-clad crowd that second-year Terps coach Buzz Williams called the best he's seen in College Park.
"Whatever they gave me, I took," Lewis said. "I was taking it to the basket and I was hoping that's what we needed at the time."
De Ridder and Grunloh, both sophomores, bring plenty of veteran savvy despite their class standing. Both played professionally in Europe — De Ridder, a 23-year-old from Belgium, and Grunloh, a 21-year-old from Germany. Another German former pro, 24-year-old freshman Nolan Adekunle, is new to the starting lineup this season.
De Ridder, the ACC preseason player of the year, finished with 20 points and never seemed rattled by the double-digit second-half deficit.
"We all thought that we were still in the game and we were just talking constantly, communicating. I think that we just did a great job in the huddles," De Ridder said. "Just trying to figure stuff out and just get the hang of it."
Odom believes his returning core can handle the heavy workload, and he's not about to pull them out of tight games just to develop the bench.
"The guys that are the starters, they deserve to be out there right now. It's just the facts of what it is," Odom said. "And so, we have plenty of time to develop the bench that we have. And we're certainly going to do that, but I'm not going to take these guys out constantly when we need them right now, especially in tight games."
Virginia (5-0) has now won four straight and 10 of its last 11 against Maryland, its former ACC rival.
Key Analysis
Odom's decision to lean on his veterans is a departure from last season's egalitarian approach, but it's yielding immediate dividends. The Cavaliers' comeback win at Maryland showcases the poise and chemistry of a core that has been through tough battles together. With Lewis emerging as a go-to scorer and De Ridder providing steady leadership, Virginia looks like a team capable of making a deep run. The challenge will be maintaining that balance as the season wears on and the bench develops.
Originally reported by cbs42.