No. 23 Virginia Hosts Cal Wednesday NightNo. 23 Virginia Hosts Cal Wednesday Night

No. 23 Virginia Hosts Cal Wednesday Night

No. 23 Virginia (12-2, 1-1 ACC) begins its two-game homestand against Cal (13-2, 1-1 ACC) on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Tipoff for the ACC contest is set for 9 p.m. on the ACC Network and Virginia Sports Radio Network.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 23 Virginia (12-2, 1-1 ACC) begins its two-game homestand against Cal (13-2, 1-1 ACC) on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Tipoff for the ACC contest is set for 9 p.m. on the ACC Network and Virginia Sports Radio Network.

For Openers

  • No. 23 Virginia (12-2, 1-1 ACC) opens its two-game homestand against Cal (13-2, 1-1 ACC) at John Paul Jones Arena.
  • UVA is 8-0 at home and has a nine-game win streak at JPJ.
  • UVA has scored 80 or more points in 12 games, most since 12 in 2006-07.
  • The Cavaliers are averaging 86.2 points, second-most in school history (89.8 ppg in 1954-55).
  • UVA is 19th in kenpom.com and 25th in NET rankings.
  • Cal assistant coach Isaiah Wilkins was a four-year standout (2015-18) and assistant coach (2023-25) at Virginia.
  • Cal leading scorer Dai Dai Ames (17.6 ppg) played at UVA last season. Ames averaged 8.7 points in 31 games for the Cavaliers.

Broadcast Information

  • The Virginia-Cal game will be televised on the ACC Network 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. Cal

  • Virginia is 2-1 all-time vs. Cal in a series that dates to 2015-16.
  • The Golden Bears defeated the Cavaliers 75-61 in the inaugural ACC meeting on Jan. 8, 2025.
  • UVA defeated Cal 63-61 in overtime in the the first meeting on Dec. 22, 2015, at John Paul Jones Arena.
  • The Cavaliers added a 56-52 win at Cal on Dec. 21, 2016.

Last Time vs. The Golden Bears

  • Andrej Stojakovic scored 23 points to lead California to a 75-61 win over Virginia at Haas Pavilion on Jan. 8, 2025.
    • Cal scored 27 points from the free throw line and 30 points in the paint to net its first ACC victory.
  • Andrew Rohde scored 14 points, Jacob Cofie added 12 points and Elijah Saunders recorded a career-high 10 rebounds in his first career double-double.

Last Time Out

  • Sam Lewis matched a career high with 23 points to lead then-No. 21 Virginia to a 76-61 win at NC State on Jan. 3.
  • Lewis drilled a career-best five 3-pointers in his first 20-point game as a Cavalier.
  • Thijs De Ridder added 14 points and six rebounds, while Malik Thomas scored 13 points along with a season-high seven boards.
  • UVA shot 50 percent from the field and drilled 13 3-pointers.
  • Devin Tillis added 10 points on 4 of 4 shooting off the bench.
  • Quadir Copeland led NC State (10-5, 1-1 ACC) with 15 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 16.4 ppg, followed by Thomas (12.3 ppg), White (10.9 ppg) and Mallory (10.8 ppg).
  • Grünloh leads the team in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and blocks (2.6 bpg), while Hall has a team-best 4.1 assists per game.
  • In all games, UVA is averaging 86.2 points and limiting its opponents to 68.1 ppg.
  • In ACC play, the Cavaliers are averaging 80.5 points and opponents are netting 78 ppg.

Hoos Among ACC Leaders

  • UVA ranks first in the ACC in offensive rebounds (14.4), second in blocks (6.3 bpg), 3-point percentage (37.6% and rebounds (42.1 rpg), third in assist/turnover ratio (1.66), rebounds (42.5 rpg) and field goal percentage defense (.386), fourth in scoring margin (+18.1), field goal percentage (.483), rebound margin (+8.8) and 3-pointers (10.6) and fifth in scoring (86.2 ppg), defensive rebounds (27.7 rpg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.6)
  • Jacari White ranks first in 3-point percentage (50%) and sixth in 3-pointers per game (2.7)
  • Dallin Hall ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (3.1) and 12th in assists (4.1 apg).
  • Thijs De Ridder ranks 11th in scoring (16.4 ppg), ninth in field goal percentage (53.8%) and 19th in rebounds (6.5 rpg).
  • Johann Grünloh is second in blocks (2.6 bpg) and 15th in rebounds (6.9 rpg).
  • Chance Mallory ranks fourth in steals (2.0 spg) and eighth in free throw percentage (82.0%).
  • Ugonna Onyenso is third in blocks (2.3 bpg).

Let it Fly

  • Virginia is averaging a school-record 28.3 3-point attempts per game, surpassing 22.7 in 2007-08.
  • UVA ranks 36th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (37.6%) and 39th in effective shooting percentage (.568).
  • UVA has shot 30 or more 3-pointers in six contests, including a school-record 45 attempts at Virginia Tech (12/31/25).
  • UVA has made 11 of more 3-pointers in eight 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%), Devin Tillis (45.8%), Sam Lewis (41.8%), Thijs DeRidder (40.0%), Chance Mallory (38.6%) and Dallin Hall (37.5%), and 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 23 and Thomas has 20.

Crash The Glass
• UVA ranks 16th nationally in offensive rebounds (14.8 rpg), 17th in rebounds (42.1 rpg) and 29th in rebound margin (8.8).

  • UVA is 10-0 when out-rebounding its opponent.
  • The Cavaliers pulled down 54 rebounds at Virginia Tech and have 48 or more rebounds in six games (Hampton, NCCU, Rider, Marshall, Northwestern and Virginia Tech).
  • 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).

On The Horizon

  • No. 23 Virginia hosts Stanford (12-3, 1-1 ACC) on Saturday, Jan. 10. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2:15 p.m. on The CW and Virginia Sports Radio Network.