Even with way-too-early preseason rankings, is Virginia basketball underrated?

At this time a year ago, it’s likely that even Ryan Odom didn’t know exactly how good his first University of Virginia men’s basketball team might be.

Odom and his staff had assembled a promising international roster, but had to synthesize all of his newcomers’ talents into a new system and convince them to buy into roles that might not have aligned with those at their previous stops. All of this while succeeding a legend in Tony Bennett, who had turned the program over to assistant Ron Sanchez on the eve of a 2024-25 season that ended with a losing record.

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National observers were skeptical, aside from occasional rumblings of sleeper potential. The Cavaliers exceeded those modest expectations, finishing 30-6, finishing second behind Duke in the ACC regular-season standings, reaching the ACC tournament final and advancing to the second round of the ACC tournament.

Then Odom pulled off arguably an even more impressive feat in a new transient era: convincing every key player with remaining eligibility to stay put.

As a result, there’s a bit more buzz around Virginia entering the 2026-27 season. In their Way Too Early rankings, The Athletic has the Cavaliers rated 13th, while ESPN.com picks them 14th and Sports Illustrated 16th.

To which some hardcore Virginia fans might ask: Why not higher?

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Why not higher?

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs de Ridder (28) reacts against the Tennessee Volunteers in the second half during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

It’s not an unfair question. The Cavaliers bring back 59 percent of their scoring from a year ago, headlined by first-team All-ACC forward Thijs de Ridder (15.6 points per game). Senior wing Sam Lewis (10.6) and center Johann Grunloh are also incumbents, and Chance Mallory seems likely to start at the point after providing an undeniable spark off the bench as…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/even-way-too-early-preseason-130007022.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-12 13:00:00

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