CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 21 Virginia (11-2, 0-1 ACC) opens 2026 at NC State (10-4, 1-0 ACC) on Saturday, Jan. 3. Tipoff for ACC contest is set for 11 a.m. on ESPN2 and Virginia Sports Radio Network.
For Openers
- No. 21 Virginia (11-2, 0-1 ACC) finishes its two-game ACC road slate at NC State (10-4, 1-0 ACC).
- UVA is 3-2 away from home and 1-1 in true road contests.
- UVA has scored 80 or more points in 12 games, most since 12 in 2006-07.
- The Cavaliers are averaging 87.0 points, second-most in school history (89.8 ppg in 1954-55).
- UVA is 26th in kenpom.com and 31st in NET rankings.
- UVA’s Ryan Odom (2023-25) and NC State’s Will Wade (2015-17) each served as head coach at VCU.
- NC State was picked to finish fourth in the ACC preseason poll, while Virginia was fifth.
Broadcast Information
- The Virginia-NC State game will be televised on ESPN2 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.
All-Time vs. NC State
- Virginia is 71-87 all-time vs. NC State in the series that dates to 1912-13.
- UVA defeated NC State 70-67 in the lone meeting between the teams in 2024-25.
- UVA is 24-40 against the Wolfpack in Raleigh, including a 9-9 mark at the former PNC Arena.
- UVA is 5-5 vs. NC State in the last 10 meetings.
Last Time vs. the Wolfpack
- Elijah Saunders tallied a career-high 22 points as Virginia overcame a 14-point deficit in a 70-67 win over NC State on Dec. 31, 2024, at John Paul Jones Arena.
- Saunders shot 7 of 9 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line for the second straight game.
- Isaac McKneely scored 14 points and Andrew Rohde chipped in 11 points and seven assists.
- NC State led 39-29, but UVA drilled seven of its first 10 3-pointers in the second stanza to secure its first league win.
- Jayden Taylor led the Wolfpack with 14 points.
Last Time Out
- Ben Hammond scored 30 points to lead Virginia Tech to a 95-85 over Virginia in a triple overtime thriller on Dec. 31 at Cassell Coliseum.
- Malik Thomas scored a season-high 26 points and Thijs De Ridder tallied 22 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for the Cavaliers (11-2, 0-1 ACC).
- Christian Gurdak (17 points, 19 rebounds) and Amani Hansberry (17 points, 15 rebounds) each added double-doubles for the Hokies (12-2, 1-0 ACC).
- The Hokies outscored the Cavaliers 40-30 in the three overtimes to secure the half point in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash.
- UVA attempted a school-record 45 3-pointers in the loss.
- Virginia Tech out-rebounded UVA 60-54 and went 28 of 41 from the free throw line.
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 16.5 ppg, followed by Thomas (12.2 ppg), Mallory (11.1 ppg) and White (10.9 ppg).
- Grünloh leads the team in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and blocks (2.7 bpg), while Hall has a team-best 4.2 assists per game.
- UVA is averaging 87 points per game and limiting its opponents to 68.7 ppg.
Hoos Among ACC Leaders
- UVA ranks first in the ACC in offensive rebounds (14.8), second in blocks (6.5 bpg) and bench points (33.4 ppg), and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.66), rebounds (42.5 rpg) and 3-point percentage (37.5%).
- Jacari White ranks first in 3-point percentage (50%) and sixth in 3-pointers per game (2.7)
- Dallin Hall ranks third in assist/turnover ratio (3.0) and 12th in assists (4.2 apg).
- Thijs De Ridder ranks 12th in scoring (16.5 ppg), ninth in field goal percentage (53.3%), 20th in rebounds (6.5 rpg)
- Johann Grünloh is second in blocks (2.7 bpg) and 12th in rebounds (7.1 rpg).
- Chance Mallory ranks fourth in steals (2.2 spg) and 12th in free throw percentage (81.4%).
Let it Fly
- Virginia is averaging a school-record 27.9 3-point attempts per game, surpassing 22.7 in 2007-08.
- UVA ranks 49th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (37.5%) and 50th in effective shooting percentage (.565).
- UVA has shot 30 or more 3-pointers in five contests, including a school record 45 attempts at Virginia Tech (12/31/25).
- 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 has made 11 of more 3-pointers in seven games, including a season-high 15 vs. Queens. - UVA had a school-record eight players make at least one 3-pointer in its win at Texas on Dec. 3.
- In 2025-26, Jacari White (50%), Chance Mallory (41%), Devin Tillis (40.9%), Dallin Hall (40%), Thijs DeRidder (39.5%) and Sam Lewis (39.1%) are UVA’s 3-point shooting leaders.
- White set a UVA record with 12 consecutive made 3-pointers during a three-game stretch from Nov. 28-Dec. 6.
- White leads the team with 30 3-pointers and Sam Lewis has 18.
On The Horizon
- No. 21 Virginia hosts Cal on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 9 p.m. on the ACC Network.