Coach Ryan Odom is, amongst other things, an advocate for the ACC.
After No. 21 Virginia closed out non-conference play — or at least most of it — with a 95-51 thumping of American, Odom parroted something he has said about the ACC several times this year.
“This is a really good league this year,” Odom said. “Our league’s off to a great start relative to its competitors, and we’re excited to get going.”
After ending last season with only two teams in KenPom’s advanced analytic Top 25, the ACC as a collective unit went into last offseason looking to flip the script and reassert itself as a dominant conference in college basketball. Fast forward, and it has done just that — that number is now four, including the Cavaliers at No. 24.
Take the ACC-SEC Challenge, a strong early-season example of how two top conferences stack up against each other. The SEC took that December non-conference series 14-2 last season, only narrowly winning it 9-7 this time around. Virginia, on the other hand, did its part by blowing out Texas on the road.
Virginia’s hot start to the year serves as a strong example of the ACC’s improvement and how that connects to the national basketball landscape. Sitting at 11-1, Virginia basketball is poised to have its best New Year’s Eve record since the 2018-2019 season. A better ACC means more tournament bids and, should ACC play go well for the Cavaliers, March basketball is looking like a strong possibility.
“We feel good,” Odom said. “Certainly we would have loved to beat Butler, but we didn’t. I think [this group] developed some shared experiences … that can propel it forward.”
That lone high-major loss to the Bulldogs Nov. 23 underscored a few of the concerns Virginia basketball may have against conference opponents — the road can be punishing and physical teams can force the Cavaliers to play hard-nosed ball.
Virginia will start ACC play with six of nine games on the road through January. This starts with a pair of matches against Virginia Tech and NC State, both of which the Cavaliers will see again in Charlottesville later in the season.
The impact of this early-season road skew is exacerbated by who Virginia is facing on the road — Virginia Tech and NC State are both solid, if not strong, teams. Not long after, the Cavaliers take a trip to face No. 16 Louisville, an offensive powerhouse under Coach Pat Kelsey, and then to Dallas to face a decent all-around team in SMU. Facing No. 6 Duke on the road in late February will likely be a game with significant tournament implications, the kind one might rather play at home. That game will be one of Virginia’s greatest opportunities to earn a signature win, but it comes in the loud and intimidating Cameron Indoor Stadium environment.
This load of tough road matchups is offset by playing a few important matches — namely against No. 12 North Carolina, Miami and Wake Forest — in John Paul Jones Arena. The match against the Tar Heels is on collision course to be an excellent one, with two of the best frontcourts in college basketball going at it.
Even then, many other matches in conference play will be of that pedigree. The Cavaliers have passed all but one test this year, their lone loss coming in a match in which they got beaten up on the interior by a physical and intense Butler side. Odom said that, in preparation for ACC play, the mental side of the game is becoming increasingly important for his staff and team.
“[We’re] just encouraging our guys overall to be present and in the moment,” Odom said. “We realize that the crowds are going to get bigger, whether on the road or at home. The stakes are going to get higher, the pressure is going to elevate. And we have to handle it, really really well.”
With several early tests of his team’s toughness in the rearview mirror, Odom is ready for the step up in competition. HIs team is already fairly battle tested from tight wins over Northwestern, Dayton and Maryland, a strong defeat of Texas and a narrow loss to the Bulldogs. The only thing they can do, however, is take it one game at a time.
“There are a lot of good records out there right now,” Odom said. “We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us, and the first one’s at Virginia Tech.”
Read More
Live tracker: The 2025-26 football offseason
By CD Sports Staff | 7 hours agoThis tracker will follow Virginia’s arrivals and departures.
If this is it for Chandler Morris, he saved his best for last
By Xander Tilock | 8 hours ago“I'm so blessed to be in this position,” Morris said.
Virginia ends 2025 on a high note, rolling past SMU for second ACC win
By Cierra Lyles | YesterdayVirginia dribbled out the final seconds of the game to win 76-52, adding another double-digit win to the resume.
