PHILADELPHIA — Before Virginia men’s basketball was named the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region of the Men’s NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday, Thijs De Ridder never really knew what March Madness was.
"Not much," De Ridder told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday.
REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracket, live scores: NCAA Tournament first round update
You can’t necessarily blame him: The Cavaliers' 6-foot-9, 238-pound forward was playing professionally for Bilbao Basket in the Liga ACB league, the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league, just last season.
"When I was 17 and younger, I thought it was another tournament like others. I did some brackets when I was younger, but that was just for fun," De Ridder said.
It’s what makes the 23-year-old freshman from Brasschaat, Belgium excited to play in Virginia's first round game against No. 14 seed Wright State.
"Every time (there was) an American guy on my team (overseas), they always talked about March Madness," De Ridder said. "Now that I'm here, it's such an organization, and it just made me really excited to play here. Hopefully, we can do some great stuff."
Thijs De Ridder's path from Bilbao to Virginia
De Ridder's path to Virginia is an interesting one.
"The story is, I happened to be in Italy looking at another kid and was meeting with his (Thijs) agent, but not about Thijs. (It was) about another kid,” Virginia associate head coach Griff Aldrich told USA TODAY Sports. "Thijs came to mind, and it became apparent that he was open, so we said, 'Hey, we were very interested (in him),' and it snowballed to Thijs."
Aldrich mentioned De Ridder wasn’t playing in Italy at the time he was visiting, but the 6-foot-9 forward matched Virginia's values while bringing experience and physicality to the court.
"He competed at a very high level. So his experience, size, physicality, and versatility were so attractive to us," Aldrich said. "We really liked his ability to be a two-way threat, both shooting and scoring, and then being able to drive and play out of the post."
He appeared in 33 of 34 games in the 2024-25 season for Bilbao Basket, averaging 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50.2% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range. He also has international experience for Belgium in the FIBA U20 European Championship in 2022 and 2023.
For De Ridder, the opportunity to play at Virginia — 29-5 in Year 1 under Ryan Odom — gave him the chance to show NBA scouts and coaches how he would compete against collegiate competition.
"I was lucky enough to do some work in NBA workouts before this and they were all saying, 'Hey Thijs, we want to see you compare with college kids and (see) what you can do there,'" De Ridder said. “Now that I’m here, I got the feedback that I wanted to work on my game and the skill sets and aspects that I have to work on to get to the next level."
REQUIRED READING: Ranking all 68 March Madness teams by odds to win 2026 Men's NCAA bracket
Thijs De Ridder's impact on Virginia
De Ridder has been one of the more impactful newcomers Virginia has added this past offseason. Named to the All-ACC first team and all-rookie teams, De Ridder leads the Cavaliers in scoring at 15.5 points per game, and finished the regular season with the league's 15th-best scoring margin at 15.9 points per game.
He enters the NCAA Tournament with 11 20-point games, including a career-high 32 points at Notre Dame. He ranks ninth in the ACC in field goal percentage (50.8%) and 17th in rebounding (6.2 rpg).
"He's incredibly composed," Wright State coach Clint Sargent said Thursday on De Ridder. “He's versatile offensively."
De Ridder’s success with the Cavaliers hasn’t come without some growth and adjustments to the different style of basketball in the United States.
"Thijs did not come in here saying, 'Hey, I played in the top pro league in Spain. You guys give me the ball and get out of the way and just listen to me.’ He has always been, 'I’m just a part of the team,'" Aldrich said.
Continued Aldrich: "He’s always been a younger guy who has played with older men. His role has always been a role player and not screw up. Where now it is, 'Hey, we actually need you to be an impact guy. We need you to be aggressive and be a playmaker and a scorer," Aldrich said. "It’s all things that I think he has really grown in just from a personality and an understanding of a new role."
REQUIRED READING: How to stream March Madness games for free: Streaming services to watch NCAA Tournament
How Thijs De Ridder has become leader for Cavaliers
At 23 years old, De Ridder is further along in his development than some of his teammates and competition around the country. For him, the biggest adjustment in college basketball has been the "young energy."
"Everybody wants to prove themselves here," said De Ridder, who also mentioned he has tried to use his experience overseas to his advantage with his younger teammates.
De Ridder’s experience and versatility on the court stand out with teammate Malik Thomas.
"What he’s brought to this team has been very special," Thomas told USA TODAY Sports. "His experience playing in big games overseas, where their March Madness looks a bit different, has been great. He brings this toughness to this team and has been a great piece for us."
The Cavaliers will need De Ridder to continue bringing that toughness and physicality inside the paint not just tomorrow against Wright State, where they hope to snap a three-game losing skid in the NCAA Tournament, but also the entire tournament if they want to go on a run.
"He’s created a lot of disadvantages and mismatches for the other team," Thomas said. "... It’s been great to see his growth over here at the college level and we’re just excited about his growth and how he continues to be himself."
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Thijs De Ridder filled out brackets overseas. He's now playing in March Madness
