Previewing UVA basketball’s non-conference schedule

With under two months remaining until Virginia men’s basketball tips off at JPJ, we officially have a non-conference schedule.

Ryan Odom utilized the common tactic of exclusively scheduling either high stakes matchups or lopsided buy games, avoiding the frisky mid-majors. According to Torvik’s preseason projections, five opponents rank in the top 50, headlined by No. 12 UConn, and all non-power conference foes rank outside the top 150.

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All in all, the Cavaliers will participate in eight home contests, one true road game, and neutral site trips to Washington D.C, Madison Square Garden (New York), and the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. As a bonus, public preseason exhibitions are slated for Sunday, September 27 (an outdoor game against Vanderbilt in Charleston, SC), Friday, October 9 (vs Richmond at JPJ), and Thursday, October 22 (at Villanova).

With so much returning talent, and a healthy share of meaningful non-conference games, we will have a strong sense of where Virginia stands by the new year.

Tuesday, Nov. 3: Drexel (home)

An offensively challenged team that finished fifth in the CAA, the Dragons lost their top four scorers heading into 2026-27.

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Friday, Nov. 6: Northeastern (home)

Long-time head coach Bill Coen is coming off of his worst season, winning just seven total games in 2025-26. They rank 260th in Torvik’s projections.

Sunday, Nov. 8: Arkansas (Washington D.C.)

John Calipari has reverted the Razorbacks program to top 25 status and has brought them to the Sweet Sixteen in each of his first two seasons. This year’s freshman class at Arkansas ranks first in the country, and includes four top 20 recruits, most notably guard Jordan Smith Jr.

Tuesday, Nov. 10: Bucknell (home)

Amassing talent has been a struggle for the Bison program, who took a significant step down with a 10-23 record in 2025-26. Headed into John Griffin’s fourth season as the head coach, his Bucknell squad projects 350th nationally in Torvik.

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Publish date : 2026-09-11 12:00:00

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