CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 16 Virginia (15-2, 4-1 ACC) travels to SMU (13-4, 2-2 ACC) on Saturday, Jan. 17. Tipoff for the ACC contest at Moody Coliseum is set for Noon ET on ESPN2 and Virginia Sports Radio Network.
For Openers
- No. 16 Virginia (15-2, 4-1 ACC) is 5-2 away from home (3-1 in true road contests).
- UVA has a four-game win streak.
- UVA has scored 80 or more points in 13 games, most since 13 in 2001-02.
- The Cavaliers are averaging 84.7 points, third-most in school history and most since 85 ppg in 2000-01.
- UVA is 14th in the kenpom.com and NET rankings.
Broadcast Information
- The Virginia-SMU 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. SMU
- Virginia is 1-2 against SMU in the series that began in 2013.
- SMU swept two games against Virginia last season.
- The Mustangs defeated the Cavaliers 63-51 win in the inaugural ACC meeting between the teams in Dallas on Dec. 7, 2024.
- SMU finished the sweep with a 54-52 win over UVA in Charlottesville on Jan. 15, 2025.
- The Cavaliers squared off against the Mustangs in the semifinals of the Corpus Christi Challenge on Nov. 29, 2013.
- The Cavaliers would go on to claim the tournament title after defeating Missouri State.
Last Time vs. The Mustangs
- Boopie Miller drilled a game-winning 3-pointer near the buzzer to lift SMU to a 54-52 win at Virginia on Jan. 15, 2025.
- UVA used a 12-0 run to gain a 50-45 lead, but SMU responded by burying three straight 3-pointers, including two from Miller, who led the Mustangs with 12 points.
- UVA’s Blake Buchanan recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and career-high 15 rebounds.
- UVA shot a season-low 15.4 percent from distance (4 of 26).
Last Time Out
- No. 16 Virginia raced to a 14-0 lead and never trailed in a 79-70 win at No. 20 Louisville on Jan. 13 at KFC Yum! Center.
- Malik Thomas sank a career-high six 3-pointers en route to a team-high 19 points.
- Johann Grünloh netted 16 points along with seven rebounds and four blocks, while Sam Lewis chipped in 15 points along with a key block.
- Former Cavalier Isaac McKneely led Louisville 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.
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 ppg, followed by Thomas (13.1 ppg), Mallory (10.5 ppg), White (10.4 ppg) and Lewis (10.2 ppg).
- Grünloh leads the team in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and share the team lead in blocks with Onyenso at 2.6 bpg.
- Hall has a team-best 4.1 assists per game.
- UVA is averaging 84.7 points and holding foes to 67 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 78.8 points and opponents are netting 68.2 ppg.
Hoos Among ACC Leaders
- UVA ranks first in the ACC in rebounds (42.1), offensive rebounds (14.1), field goal percentage defense (.379) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.286), second in blocks (6.7 bpg), rebound margin (+9.1) and 3-point percentage (.370), third in scoring margin (+17.7), fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.61), 3-pointers (10.5), scoring defense (67 ppg) and defensive rebounds (27.9 rpg) and fifth in assists (17.4).
- Thijs De Ridder ranks 12th in scoring (16 ppg), ninth in field goal percentage (54.1%) and 20th in rebounds (6.2 rpg).
- Dallin Hall ranks third in assist/turnover ratio (2.9) and 10th in assists (4.1 apg).
- Ugonna Onyenso and Johann Grünloh are tied for second in blocks (2.6 bpg) and Grünloh is 15th in rebounds (6.8 rpg).
- Chance Mallory ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (3.0), third in steals (2.0 spg) and sixth in free throw percentage (83.1%).
On The Horizon
- No. 16 Virginia hosts No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 24. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN and Virginia Sports Radio Network.