CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 3 seed Virginia (30-5) plays No. 6 seed Tennessee (23-11) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 22. Tipoff at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia is set for 6:10 p.m. on TNT, Westwood One, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports Radio Network.
For Openers
- UVA meets Tennessee for the 15th time and fourth time in the NCAA Tournament.
- The Cavaliers and Volunteers each earned at-large berths to the NCAA Tournament.
- UVA seeks its 11th Sweet 16 appearance and first since 2019.
- UVA is 1-3 vs. ranked opponents in 2025-26.
- UVA has 30 or more wins for the sixth time in school history.
- Virginia is 14-4 away from John Paul Jones Arena, including a 6-2 record on neutral courts.
- UVA is averaging 80.7 points, most since 85 ppg in 2000-01.
- UVA has scored 80 or more points in 20 games (most since 21 in 2000-01).
- UVA returns to Philadelphia for the first time since losing 61-59 to Villanova on Jan. 29, 2017 at the former Wells Fargo Center.
- UVA advanced to the 1981 Final Four at The Spectrum and is 9-16 all-time in Philadelphia.
Broadcast Information
- The Virginia-Tennessee game will be televised on TNT, streamed online at NCAA.com/march-madness-live and broadcast on WestwoodOneSports.com/madness, Westwood One Sports App, NCAA March Madness App, VirginiaSports.com amnd Virginia Sports Radio Network.
- Live statistics are available on NCAA.com/march-madness-live, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
The New Head Coach
- Ryan Odom was named the University of Virginia’s Dean and Markel Families Men’s Head Basketball Coach on March 22.
- He spent the last two seasons at VCU, leading the Rams to a 52-21 record and 2025 NCAA Tournament berth.
- VCU won the 2025 Atlantic-10 Tournament and shared the A-10 regular-season championship.
- UVA is Odom’s fifth stint as a collegiate head coach. In 12 seasons, he has compiled a record of 251-132, including stops at Utah State (2021-23), UMBC (2017-2021), Lenoir-Rhyne (2016) and Charlotte (2015, interim).
- Odom led UMBC, Utah State and VCU to the NCAA Tournament during his second season at those schools.
- Odom coached UMBC to an upset against Virginia in 2018 NCAA Tournament, marking the first time a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed in the event’s history.
- Odom is the first UVA coach to start his tenure 5-0, surpassing the Cavaliers’ first coach Henry Lannigan (4-0 in 1905-06).
- Odom’s 30 wins are the most wins for a UVA first-year head coach, surpassing Jeff Jones’ 21 wins in 1990-91.
- Odom’s 30 are also the most for a men’s basketball head coach at UVA since Tony Bennett’s 35 in 2018-19.
- Odom’s 30 wins rank second for a first-year head coach in the ACC. The only coach to win more games in his debut season was North Carolina’s Bill Guthridge (34 in 1998).
UVA All-Time in the NCAA Tournament
- The Cavaliers are 36-25 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- UVA is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance under first-year head coach Ryan Odom and 27th overall.
- UVA earned its first No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
- UVA won the NCAA championship in 2019 and also made Final Four appearances in 1981 and 1984, respectively.
- Odom is 4-4 in five NCAA tournaments as a head coach (2-1 at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne, 1-1 at UMBC, 0-1 at Utah State, 0-1 at VCU and 1-0 at UVA).
Hoo Are These Cavaliers?
- The 2025-26 roster is highlighted by 12 newcomers, including Dallin Hall (BYU), Malik Thomas (San Francisco), Devin Tillis (UC Irvine), Jacari White (North Dakota State), Ugonna Onyenso (Kansas State), Sam Lewis (Toledo) and Martin Carrere (VCU).
- UVA added European imports Thijs De Ridder (Bilbao Basket), Johann Grünloh (RASTA Vechta) and true freshmen Silas Barksdale, Chance Mallory and Owen Odom.
- Redshirt sophomores Elijah Gertrude, Carter Lang and Desmond Roberts are the lone returners from last year’s team.
- De Ridder leads UVA in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg), while Thomas (12.4 ppg), Lewis (10.8 ppg) and Mallory (9.3 ppg) are UVA’s other leading scorers.
- Onyenso leads the team in blocks (2.9 bpg) and Hall leads in assists (4.3 apg).
- UVA is averaging 80.7 points and holding foes to 68.5 ppg.
- UVA’s +12.2 scoring margin is its largest since the 2018-19 NCAA championship squad’s +15.3 margin.
- Seven different Cavaliers have led the team in scoring (Thijs De Ridder, Dallin Hall, Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory, Ugonna Onyenso, Malik Thomas, Jacari White).
- UVA averaged 77.3 ppg and held foes to 69.6 ppg in ACC play.
Last Time Out
- Jacari White scored 26 points off the bench to lead No. 3 seed Virginia to an 82-73 win over No. 14 seed Wright State in NCAA Tournament first round action on Thursday, March 20 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
- White made 10 of 12 field goals, including 6 of 8 3-pointers, in a clutch performance.
- White is the first player to come off the bench and record 26+ points and 83% FG% or higher in the same NCAA Tournament game since Middle Tennessee’s Mike Buck did so in 1989 against Florida State.
- Sam Lewis (12 points), Malik Thomas (11 points) and Thijs De Ridder (10 points) also reached double figures for the Cavaliers.
- UVA drilled 13 3-pointers (26 attempts) and shot 51.9% from the field.
- UVA dominated the glass, out-rebounding Wright State 39-24.
- Michael Imariagbe led four Raiders in double figures with 19 points.
Virginia Standard
- The Virginia Standard is to pursue excellence and is built on the six pillars of humility, passion, unity, servanthood, thankfulness and accountability,
• We play with pace, share the basketball and our defensive style is to dictate and disrupt.
All-Time vs. Tennessee
- The Cavaliers own an 8-6 advantage over the Volunteers in the all-time series that dates back to 1917.
- Tennessee has a two-game win streak in the series, defeating the Cavaliers 64-42 in 2024-25 and 87-52 in 2013-14.
- UVA is 3-2 against Tennessee on neutral courts, including a 62-48 win in the 1981 NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals in Atlanta, Ga., and a 54-51 win in the 1982 NCAA Tournament Second Round in Indianapolis, Ind.
- UVA is 2-1 vs. Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament.
Last Time vs. the Volunteers
- Chaz Lanier scored a game-high 26 points and former Cavalier Igor Milicic Jr. added 14 points and eight rebounds as then No. 11 Tennessee beat Virginia 64-42 at the Baha Mar Hoops Championship on Nov. 21, 2024.
- Tennessee scored 30 points off of 18 Virginia turnovers.
- UVA shot 28.6%, including 30% from 3-point range.
- Dai Dai Ames led the Cavaliers with 12 points, while Andrew Rohde chipped in eight points.
On The Horizon
- The Virginia-Tennessee winner advances to the NCAA Sweet 16 against the Iowa State-Kentucky winner in Chicago, Ill. Date, tip time and television designation is TBA.