Virginia Heads to Texas for ACC/SEC Challenge
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (6-1) travels to Texas (6-2) for an ACC/SEC Challenge contest on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Tipoff at Moody Center is set for 9:15 p.m. on ESPNU and Virginia Sports Radio Network.
For Openers
• Virginia meets Texas for the first time.
• The Cavaliers are 1-1 in the ACC/SEC Challenge, defeating Texas A&M 59-47 in 2023 and losing 87-69 at Florida in 2024.
• UVA scored 80+ points in its first five games for the first time in school history.
• UVA ranks second nationally in blocks (8.0 bpg), highlighted by Ugonna Onyenso’s eight-block effort vs. Butler and Johann Grünloh’s seven-block effort vs. NC Central.
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Texas game will be televised on ESPNU and streamed on ESPN.com/watch.
• The game will also be broadcast on Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
• Live statistics will be located on VirginiaSports.com and the 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 224-127, including stops at Utah State (2021-23), UMBC (2017-2021), Lenoir-Rhyne (2016), 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 who started 4-0 in 1905-06.
Last Time Out
• Thijs De Ridder led six players in double figures with 21 points as Virginia raced past Queens 94-69 on Nov. 28 at John Paul Jones Arena.
• Sam Lewis (15), Johann Grünloh (13), Devin Tillis (13), Chance Mallory (11) and Jacari White (11) also reached double figures as UVA had six players score 10 or more points in a game for the first time since 2008.
• UVA made a season-high 15 3-pointers and UVA had six players (De Ridder, Grünloh, Lewis, Mallory, Tillis and White) make multiple 3-pointers in the same game for the first time in school history.
• Grünloh added 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.
The 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.
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 (Woodside High School), • Chance Mallory (St. Anne’s Belfield) and Owen Odom (Collegiate School).
• Redshirt sophomores Elijah Gertrude, Carter Lang and Desmond Roberts are the lone returners from last year’s team.
• UVA returned four points (all from Roberts) from 2024-25.
• De Ridder leads three players averaging double figures at 18 ppg, followed by Thomas (13.4 ppg), Mallory (11.3 ppg) and Lewis (10.4 ppg).
• Grünloh leads the team in rebounding (7.7 rpg) and blocks (3.3 bpg), while Hall has a team-best 4.0 assists per game.
• UVA is averaging 87.6 points per game and limiting its opponents to 67.6 ppg.
New Kids On The Block
• Newcomers Johann Grünloh and Ugonna Onyenso provide elite rim protection for UVA.
• Grünloh ranks third nationally with 3.3 blocks per game, while Onyenso is fourth at 3.1 bpg.
• Onyenso and Grünloh each had four blocks against Hampton, marking the first time since Dec. 22, 1998, a pair of UVA teammates each had four or more blocks (Kris Hunter 5, Chris Williams 4).
• Grünloh’s seven blocks vs. NC Central were most by a Cavalier freshman since Jason Clark’s eight vs. VMI on Jan. 24, 2002.
• Onyenso’s eight blocks vs. Butler were the most by a Cavalier since Jay Huff’s 10 vs. Duke on Feb. 29, 2020.
• Grünloh has two or more blocks in each game, while Onyenso has multiple blocks in five games.
Crash The Glass
• UVA ranks first nationally in offensive rebounds (17.6 rpg), 10th in rebounds (44.7 rpg) and 18th in rebound margin (12).
• UVA is 6-0 when out-rebounding its opponent.
• The Cavaliers have 49 or more rebounds in four games, out-rebounding Hampton (49-25), NCCU (48-34), Rider (49-32), Marshall (38-35) and Northwestern (49-25).
• UVA has 20 or more offensive rebounds in three games, including 20 or more in back-to-back games (Rider and NCCU) for the first time since November of 2007 (25 at Penn and 20 against Seton Hall).
Let it Fly
• Virginia is averaging a school-record 28.6 3-point attempts per game, surpassing 22.7 in 2007-08.
• UVA has shot 30 or more 3-pointers in three contests.
• UVA attempted 30 or more 3-pointers in back-to-back games (Rider and NCCU) for the first time since March of 2021 (Syracuse and Ohio).
• UVA’s 36 3-point attempts vs. NC Central were its most since 38 against Virginia Tech on Feb. 10, 2018.
• UVA is shooting 36.5 percent (73 of 200) from 3-point range.
• Jacari White leads the team with 16 3-pointers, while Sam Lewis and Malik Thomas each have 12 3-pointers.
On The Horizon
• Virginia battles Dayton in a non-conference tilt on Saturday, Dec. 6 in Charlotte, N.C. Tipoff at the Spectrum Center is set for Noon on ESPN2 and Virginia Sports Radio Network.