De Ridder leads balanced attack as No. 9 Virginia throttles No. 12 Arkansas 91-72

Thijs De Ridder led a balanced attack as No. 9 Virginia dominated No. 12 Arkansas 91-72 in their inaugural nonconference game at Madison Square Garden. Virginia headlined the scoring with contributions from five players in double figures, including De Ridder's 16 points. Sam Lewis contributed 16 points, Johann Grunloh and Chance Mallory scored 15 each, and Nolan Adekunle added 13.

Jordan Smith Jr. led Arkansas with 19 points. Virginia took an early half lead of 46-27 and never trailed, leading by as many as 27 points in the second half. The game was marked by an unusual moment when a pair of birds crashed the court during a stoppage, only to be chased away by players.