After a huge victory over the former Np. 1 Michigan Wolverines last week, the Duke Blue Devils will look to finish the 2025-26 college basketball season on a high note.

With three games left in the regular season, head coach Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils have a clear path to finishing the year on an eight-game win streak. However, the toughest challenge will be Saturday’s matchup against the No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers.

Luckily for Duke, the red-hot program might catch a break this weekend.

According to David Teel on Tuesday night, Cavaliers’ star forward Thijs De Ridder exited the program’s most recent matchup against the North Carolina State Wolfpack with a knee injury.

Throughout the course of the 2025-26 season, De Ridder has proven to be the main catalyst on offense for Virginia. The freshman from Antwerp, Belgium, took the college basketball world by storm this year, averaging 16 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while also shooting 52.4 percent from the field in 28 games.

Most recently, De Ridder has dominated in his last three games, recording 22 points, five rebounds, and three steals in the Cavaliers’ victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. And prior to leaving the contest on Tuesday, the first-year forward had 19 points, four rebounds, and two assists against North Carolina State.

If De Ridder were to miss Saturday’s matchup against Duke, Scheyer and his squad will gain a significant advantage leading up to the upcoming contest. De Ridder currently leads the team in points and rebounds per game this season, and his potential absence will leave Virginia without a true offensive weapon.

In addition to the lack of offense without De Ridder on the court, his defensive presence will be important for the Cavaliers if he is able to play on Saturday. The rising star is projected to match up against Duke’s Cameron Boozer, who is widely considered to be one of the best forwards in the nation.

De Ridder sitting out would give Boozer a favorable matchup in the highly anticipated contest.

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