No. 11 Virginia Plays at Top-Ranked Duke SaturdayNo. 11 Virginia Plays at Top-Ranked Duke Saturday
Grace Landini/Virginia Athletics

No. 11 Virginia Plays at Top-Ranked Duke Saturday

No. 11 Virginia (25-3, 13-2 ACC) plays at No. 1 Duke (26-2, 14-1 ACC) on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tipoff at Cameron Indoor Stadium is set for Noon on ESPN, ESPN Radio and Virginia Sports Radio Network.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 11 Virginia (25-3, 13-2 ACC) plays at No. 1 Duke (26-2, 14-1 ACC) on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tipoff at Cameron Indoor Stadium is set for Noon on ESPN, ESPN Radio and Virginia Sports Radio Network.

For Openers

  • No. 11 Virginia (25-3) is second in the ACC at 13-2, while No. 1 Duke (26-2) is first at 14-1.
  • The Cavaliers seek their first win against a top-ranked team and second in school history since topping then-No. 1 North Carolina 86-73 on Jan. 30, 1986.
  • UVA meets its first top-ranked opponent since losing to then-No. 1 Gonzaga 98-75 in Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 26, 2020.
  • The Cavaliers have a nine-game win streak and eight-game road win streak.
  • UVA is 11-2 away from home this season, including an 8-1 mark in true road contests.
  • UVA has scored 80 or more points in 18 games (most since 21 in 2000-01).
  • UVA is averaging 82.3 points, most since 85 ppg in 2000-01.
  • UVA ranks 13th in the NET rankings and 18th in the kenpom.com rankings.

Broadcast Information

  • The Virginia-Duke game will be televised on ESPN, streamed online at ESPN.com/watch and broadcast on ESPN Radio, 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.
  • Odom’s 25 wins are the most wins for a UVA first-year head coach, surpassing Jeff Jones’ 21 wins in 1990-91.

All-Time vs. Duke

  • UVA meets Duke for the 181st meeting overall and 73rd time in Durham in a series that dates to 1910-11.
  • Virginia is 0-16 against Duke when the Blue Devils have been ranked No. 1.
  • UVA meets a top-ranked Duke team for the first time since the Blue Devils edged the Cavaliers 72-70 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 19, 2019.
  • The Cavaliers are 54-126 all-time vs. the Blue Devils, including a 12-60 mark in Durham.
  • UVA is 1-4 in its last five games vs. Duke and 3-7 in its last 10.
  • Seven of the last 11 meetings have been decided by four points or less.

Last Time vs. The Blue Devils

  • Cooper Flagg’s 17 points and 14 rebounds guided No. 3 Duke to an 80-62 win at Virginia on Feb. 17, 2025.
  • Kon Knueppel and Isaiah Evans had 17 points each for Duke.
  • Andrew Rohde and Dai Dai Ames each scored 15 points as the Cavaliers’ three-game win streak ended.
  • Duke won the rebound battle (41-21) and scored 42 points in the paint.

Last Time Out

  • Thijs De Ridder scored 19 points and Johann Grünloh blocked eight shots as No. 11 Virginia defeated NC State 90-61 on Feb. 24 at John Paul Jones Arena.
  • Sam Lewis (16), Jacari White (15), Malik Thomas (12) and Chance Mallory (11) all reached double figures.
  • UVA scored 58 points and shot 70% in the second half.
  • NC State shot a season-low 29.4% and its 19 points in the first half were also a season low.
  • Paul McNeil, Jr. led the Wolfpack with 22 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.
  • De Ridder leads UVA in scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg), while Thomas (12.3 ppg), Lewis (10.9 ppg) and Mallory (10.2 ppg) are UVA’s other leading scorers.
  • Onyenso leads the team in blocks (2.6 bpg) and Hall leads in assists (4.2 apg).
  • UVA is averaging 82.3 points and holding foes to 67.8 ppg.
  • UVA’s +14.6 scoring margin is its largest since the 2018-19 NCAA championship squad’s +15.3 margin.
  • Seven different Cavaliers have led the team in scoring (Thijs De

Ridder, Dallin Hall, Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory, Ugonna Onyenso, Malik Thomas, Jacari White).

  • UVA averages 79.3 ppg and holds foes to 68.9 ppg in ACC play.

Hoos Among ACC Leaders

  • Virginia ranks first in the ACC in blocks (6.2 bpg), rebounding (41.3), offensive rebounding (13.7) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.300), second in field goal percentage defense (.393), scoring margin (+14.6) and rebounding margin (+8.7), third in scoring defense (67.8 ppg), 3-pointers (10.3) and defensive rebounds (27.5 rpg), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (.363) and assists (17.0 apg) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.56).
  • Thijs De Ridder ranks 14th in scoring (16.0 ppg), eighth in field goal percentage (52.4%) and 18th in rebounds (6.3 rpg).
  • Dallin Hall ranks first in assist/turnover ratio (3.2) and 12th in assists (4.2 apg).
  • Ugonna Onyenso leads the ACC in blocks at 2.6 bpg, while Johann Grünloh ranks third in blocks at 2.4 bpg.
  • Chance Mallory ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (3.0), fifth in steals (1.7 spg), 14th in assists (3.7 apg) and 16th in free throw percentage (78.2%).
  • Mallory is currently the only freshman in NCAA Division I with 250 points 100 rebounds, 90 assists, 45 steals and 30 three-pointers.
  • Jacari White ranks 12th in 3-pointers made per game (2.3).

On The Horizon

  • No. 11 Virginia hosts Wake Forest on Tuesday, March 3. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on the ACC Network and Virginia Sports Radio Network.