CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 16 Virginia (14-2, 3-1 ACC) travels to No. 20 Louisville (12-4, 2-2 ACC) on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Tipoff for the ACC contest at KFC Yum! Center is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2 and Virginia Sports Radio Network.
For Openers
- No. 16 Virginia (14-2, 3-1 ACC) meets its first ranked opponent.
- UVA is 4-2 away from home (2-1 in true road contests).
- UVA has scored 80 or more points in 13 games, most since 13 in 2001-02.
- The Cavaliers are averaging 85.1 points, second-most in school history (89.8 ppg in 1954-55).
- UVA is 15th in kenpom.com and 20th in NET rankings.
- Louisville guard Isaac McKneely played at Virginia from 2022-25, averaging 11.1 points and shooting 42.2 percent from 3-point range during his three-year career in Charlottesville.
Broadcast Information
- The Virginia-Louisville game will be televised on ESPN2, streamed on ESPN.com/watch and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
- Live statistics are available 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.
All-Time vs. Louisville
- Virginia is 24-7 all-time vs. Louisville in a series that dates to 1923-24.
- The Cardinals swept the two-game series vs. UVA last season.
- UVA has won 18 of the last 21 meetings.
- The Cavaliers are 11-5 vs. the Cardinals in Louisville, including an 8-3 mark at KFC Yum! Center.
- UVA is 19-4 vs. Louisville since the Cardinals joined the ACC.
Last Time vs. The Cardinals
- Reyne Smith scored 19 points to lead Louisville to an 81-67 win in ACC action at KFC Yum! Center on Jan. 18, 2025.
- Terrence Edwards Jr. added 16 points and J’Vonne Hadley chipped in 13 points for the Cardinals.
- Elijah Saunders led UVA with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
- Louisville scored 20 points off of UVA’s 15 turnovers.
- UVA was out-rebounded 36-30.
Last Time Out
- Thijs De Ridder scored 22 points to lead No. 23 Virginia to a 70-55 win on Jan. 10 at John Paul Jones Arena.
- Chance Mallory added 13 points and Malik Thomas had 11.
- UVA (14-2, 3-1 ACC) held Stanford without a field goal for 7:59 in the second half.
- Ebuka Okorie led Stanford (13-4, 2-2 ACC) with 14 points.
- UVA out-rebounded the Cardinal 37-33
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, Chance Mallory and Owen Odom.
- 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 UVA in scoring at 16.1 ppg, followed by Thomas (12.8 ppg), White (10.9 ppg) and Mallory (10.6 ppg).
- Grünloh leads the team in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and blocks (2.5 bpg), while Hall has a team-best 4.1 assists per game.
- UVA is averaging 86.1 points and holding foes to 67.6 ppg.
- Seven different Cavaliers have led the team in scoring (Thijs De Ridder, Dallin Hall, Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory, Ugonna Onyenso, Malik Thomas, Jacari White).
- In ACC play, the Cavaliers are averaging 81.7 points and opponents are netting 72 ppg.
Hoos Among ACC Leaders
- UVA ranks first in the ACC in offensive rebounds (14.1), field goal percentage defense (.380) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.288), second in rebounds (41.9), rebound margin (+9.1) and blocks (6.5 bpg), third in 3-point percentage (36.7%) and assist/turnover ratio (1.64), fourth in scoring defense (66.8 ppg), scoring margin (+18.3) and 3-pointers (10.3) and fifth in field goal percentage (48.1%), defensive rebounds (27.8 rpg).
- Thijs De Ridder ranks 12th in scoring (16.4 ppg), eighth in field goal percentage (55.4%) and 20th in rebounds (6.1 rpg).
- Dallin Hall ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (3.0) and 11th in assists (4.1 apg).
- Ugonna Onyenso is second in blocks (2.6 bpg).
- Johann Grünloh is third in blocks (2.5 bpg) and 15th in rebounds (6.8 rpg).
- Chance Mallory ranks third in steals (2.1 spg) and ninth in free throw percentage (81.8%).
On The Horizon
- No. 16 Virginia travels to No. 24 SMU on Saturday, Jan. 17. Tipoff at Moody Center is set for Noon on ESPN/2/U and Virginia Sports Radio Network.