Virginia Cavaliers Basketball Preview 2026-27

Head coach Ryan Odom had a fantastic first season with Virginia Basketball. Can the 52-year-old build off last year’s success and lead the Cavaliers to a run reminiscent of Tony Bennett’s mid-2010s teams?

Virginia Basketball Preview 2026-27

Odom, who is known for elevating programs, led Virginia to a 30-6 overall record, including 15-3 in ACC play. The Cavaliers finished second to Duke in ACC regular-season play and then fell to the Blue Devils in a very tight conference tournament championship game (74-70). But the ‘Hoos fell to No.6 seed Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament second round, failing to get to the event’s second weekend for the sixth year in a row. Granted, they missed the Tournament twice during that span.

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Still, 30 wins were quite the accomplishment in Odom’s first season in Charlottesville. It marked a 15-game improvement from the season prior. Also, it was the Cavaliers’ first 30-win campaign since 2018-19.

While Bennett’s Cavaliers — the Hoos posted a .728 winning percentage and won the 2019 NCAA championship during his 15-year tenure — won because of their stifling pack-line defense, last year’s club ranked in the top 60 nationally both offensively and defensively.

Last season, the Cavaliers ranked 26th in offensive efficiency in 2026-27 and 73rd in scoring (80.4), as they were among the top 3-point-shooting teams and didn’t turn the ball over much. Defensively, the Hoos were 59th in the country in team rating and 54th in scoring defense (68.8), holding opponents to 39.8% from the field and 31.6% from 3-point range.

Odom, the son of longtime college coach Dave Odom, came to Virginia after two years at VCU. Overall, Odom has a 231-123 record in 11 seasons as head coach with nine winning campaigns. He has won four conference titles (2 regular-season and 2 conference tournament) and led four teams to an NCAA Tournament berth.

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Last week, Odom signed a contract extension that will keep him in Charlottesville through 2032.

“Coach Odom has…

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Publish date : 2026-08-25 21:57:00

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