CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 6 Virginia (3-0) hosts Bucknell (0-2) in non-conference action on Tuesday (Nov. 10). Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 9 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Network and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network.
For Openers
- UVA meets its first of two Patriot League opponents in 2026-27.
- The Cavaliers will also host Loyola Maryland on Friday, Nov. 20.
- UVA is 3-0 for the fourth straight season.
- Thijs De Ridder was named Co-ACC Player of the Week after averaging 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals in UVA’s three wins last week.
Broadcast Information
- The Virginia-Bucknell game will be televised on the ACC Network and streamed online at 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.
Our Leader
- Head coach Ryan Odom enters his second season at Virginia after leading the Cavaliers to a 30-6 overall record, a 15-3 second-place mark in the ACC and a second NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025-26.
- Odom’s 30 wins are the most wins for a Virginia first-year head coach, surpassing Jeff Jones’ 21 wins in 1990-91.
- Odom has a 33-6 mark at UVA and has posted a 255-133 overall mark in 13 seasons of coaching. He has led Virginia (2026), VCU (2025), Utah State (2023), UMBC (2018) and Lenoir-Rhyne (2016) to NCAA tournament appearances.
- Odom coached UMBC to an upset against Virginia in the 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 (4-0 in 1905-06).
- Odom’s 30 wins were the most for a UVA men’s basketball head coach since Tony Bennett’s 35 in 2018-19.
- Odom’s 30 wins rank second for a first-year ACC head coach in his debut season, trailing only North Carolina’s Bill Guthridge (34 in 1998).
- Odom has led his teams to the conference championship game in each of the last four seasons (Utah State 2023, VCU 2024 and 2025 and UVA 2026).
The 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?
- Virginia retained 10 of its 11 possible players from 2025-26, including three starters (Thijs De Ridder, Johann Grünloh and Sam Lewis) and sixth-man Chance Mallory.
- Lewis (18.7 ppg), De Ridder (18.7 ppg), Mallory (14.3 ppg) and Grünloh (13 ppg) lead the team in scoring this season.
- De Ridder (8.3 rpg) and Grünloh (5.7 rpg) lead the Hoos in rebounding.
- De Ridder (15.6 ppg), Lewis (10.6 ppg), Mallory (9.3 ppg) and Grünloh (7.1 ppg) were four of Virginia’s top-six scorers in 2025-26.
- De Ridder earned All-ACC first-team honors in 2025-26 and was joined by Mallory on the NABC East All-District Team.
- Elijah Gertrude, Martin Carrere, Carter Lang, Silas Barksdale, Desmond Roberts and Owen Odom also return from 2025-26.
- UVA welcomes eight newcomers, including transfers Jurian Dixon (UC Irvine), Kalu Anya (St. Louis), Jan Vide (Loyola Marymount) and Christian Harmon (Arkansas State) and European import Nolan Adekunle (VET CONCEPT Gladiators Trier).
- Virginia added first-year center Favour Ibe along with preferred walk-ons Nick Rotter and Quincy Watson.
All Time vs. Bucknell
- UVA is 2-1 all-time vs. Bucknell in a series that dates to 1961.
- UVA meets Bucknell for the first time since Dec. 28, 2000 when the Cavaliers topped the Bison 99-49 at University Hall.
- The Cavaliers defeated the Bison 64-45 in 1980.
- Bucknell won the inaugural meeting between the two teams, defeating the Cavaliers 99-81 in 1961.
Last Time vs. the Bison
- Travis Watson posted 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead Virginia to a 99-49 win over Bucknell on Dec. 28, 2000.
- Adam Hall added 13 points and Chris Williams chipped in 12 for the Cavaliers.
- Roger Mason Jr. and Maurice Young also reached double figures with 10 points apiece.
- UVA shot 51.3% and went 8 of 16 from 3-point range.
- UVA outrebounded the Bison 52-26 and forced 27 turnovers.
- Boakai Lalugba led Bucknell with 14 points.
Last Time Out
- Thijs De Ridder posted 16 points and 10 rebounds and Johann Grünloh added 15 points and five blocked shots to lead then-No. 9 Virginia to a 91-72 win over then-No. 12 Arkansas at the Skyscanner Capital Showcase on Nov. 9.
- Sam Lewis added 16 points and Chance Mallory tallied 15 points and six assists.
- UVA scored 24 points off of 15 Arkansas turnovers and made 12 3-pointers.
- Jordan Smith Jr. led the Razorbacks with 19 points.
Cavaliers Ranked No. 6 in AP Poll
- Virginia is ranked No. 6 in the latest AP Top-25 poll.
- The No. 6 ranking is UVA’s highest since a No. 6 ranking on Feb. 20, 2023.
- UVA’s No. 9 AP preseason ranking was its highest since a No. 4 ranking to start the 2020-21 season.
- The Cavaliers’ No. 9 preseason ranking was their first AP top-25 preseason ranking since a No. 18 ranking in 2022-23.
Somebody’s Watching Me
- Thijs De Ridder was named to the preseason 2027 NABC Player of the Year and Naismith Trophy watch lists.
- Chance Mallory (Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year), Thijs De Ridder (Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year) and Johann Grünloh (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year) were named to other preseason position watch lists.
- Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2026-27 season. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the awards will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to the Naismith Hall of Fame selection committees to determine the winner for each award.
On The Horizon
- No. 6 Virginia travels to Maryland for a non-conference tilt on Friday, Nov. 13. Tipoff at XFINITY Center is set for 8 p.m. The game will be televised on Peacock and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network.