No. 13 Virginia Hosts Wake Forest Tuesday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 13 Virginia (25-4, 13-3 ACC) hosts Wake Forest (15-14, 6-10 ACC) 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.

For Openers

• No. 13 Virginia (25-4) is second in the ACC at 13-3, while Wake Forest (15-14) is tied for 13th at 6-10.
• UVA can clinch the No. 2 seed and a double bye at the ACC Tournament with a win.
• UVA is 14-1 at home (6-1 in ACC action) this season.
• UVA has scored 80 or more points in 18 games (most since 21 in 2000-01).
• UVA is averaging 81.2 points, most since 85 ppg in 2000-01.
• UVA ranks 14th in the NET rankings and 17th in the kenpom.com rankings.

  Tickets

• Single-game, group and mini-plan tickets are on sale at uvatix.com. The Pick 2 Plan features home games against Wake Forest (March 3) and Virginia Tech (March 7). The Pick 2 Plan packages start at $110, and can be purchased online, or by contacting the UVA Ticket Sales Team at (434) 924-8821 (Ext. 1). 

Broadcast Information

• The Virginia-Wake Forest game will be televised on the ACC Network, streamed online at 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, 2025.
• 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. Wake Forest

• Virginia is 72-72 all-time vs. Wake Forest, including a 43-22 mark in Charlottesville, in the series that dates to 1910-11.
• UVA has won 13 of the last 15 meetings in the series.
• UVA is 8-3 vs. the Demon Deacons at John Paul Jones Arena.
• UVA defeated Wake Forest 83-75 in the lone meeting between the teams last season.

Last Time vs. The Demon Deacons

• Isaac McKneely scored 27 points to lead Virginia past Wake Forest 83-75 in ACC action on Feb. 26, 2025, at Joel Coliseum.
• Dai Dai Ames scored 14 points, while Andrew Rohde chipped in 13 and Jacob Cofie added 12.
• UVA shot 55.8 percent and drilled 10 3-pointers in the win.
• UVA’s 83 points and 44 first half points marked season highs.
• Hunter Sallis led Wake Forest with 25 points and Cameron Hildreth added 22.
• UVA allowed a season-high 52 points in the paint.

Last Time Out

• Isaiah Evans scored 19 points and Cameron Boozer added 18 as No. 1 Duke raced past Virginia 77-51 on Feb. 28 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• Duke (27-2, 15-1 ACC) jumped to a 41-26 halftime lead, highlighted by 8 of 13 shooting from 3-point range.
• Virginia had season lows in points (51) and field goal percentage (29.1%).
• Duke won the rebound battle 37-29.
• Thijs De Ridder led UVA with 16 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 (6.2 rpg), while Thomas (12.0 ppg), Lewis (10.5 ppg) and Mallory (10.1 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 81.2 points and holding foes to 68.1 ppg.
• UVA’s +13.1 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 77.5 ppg and holds foes to 69.4 ppg in ACC play.

Hoos Among ACC Leaders

• Virginia ranks first in the ACC in blocks (6.1 bpg), rebounding (40.9) and offensive rebounding (13.6), second in field goal percentage defense (.396), third in scoring defense (68.1 ppg), scoring margin (+13.2), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.307), 3-pointers (10.1) and rebounding margin (+8.1), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (.363), defensive rebounds (27.3 rpg) and assists (16.7 apg) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.54).
• Thijs De Ridder ranks 14th in scoring (16.0 ppg), seventh in field goal percentage (52.2%) and 19th in rebounds (6.2 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), seventh in steals (1.7 spg), 14th in assists (3.6 apg) and 14th in free throw percentage (78.6%).
• Jacari White ranks 12th in 3-pointers made per game (2.2).

On The Horizon

• No. 13 Virginia hosts Virginia Tech in a Smithfield Commonwealth Clash on Saturday, March 7. Tipoff for the regular-season finale at John Paul Jones Arena is set for Noon on The CW and Virginia Sports Radio Network.