No. 14 Virginia Hosts Miami in Saturday Matinee

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 14 Virginia (23-3, 11-2 ACC) hosts Miami (21-5, 10-3 ACC) on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN2 and Virginia Sports Radio Network. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats at 1:45 p.m. for the pregame Tony Bennett court dedication.

For Openers

• No. 14 Virginia (23-3) is second in the ACC at 11-2, while Miami (21-5, 10-3 ACC) is third at 10-3.
• UVA will dedicate the John Paul Jones Arena court to Tony Bennett in a pregame ceremony. The four-time ACC Coach of the Year guided the Cavaliers to the 2019 NCAA Championship, two ACC Tournament titles, six ACC regular-season championships and 10 NCAA tournament appearances in 15 seasons.
• The Cavaliers have won seven consecutive games and are 12-1 at JPJ this season.
• UVA has scored 80 or more points in 16 games (most since 21 in 2000-01).
• The Cavaliers are averaging 81.9 points, most since 85 ppg in 2000-01.
• UVA ranks 16th in the NET rankings and 19th in the kenpom.com rankings.

Tickets

• The Virginia-Miami game is sold out. Fans can still secure tickets at SeatGeek.com, the Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace for Virginia Athletics.
• Single-game, group and mini-plan tickets are on sale at uvatix.com. The Pick 2 Plan features the weekend game against Virginia Tech (March 7) and one weekday game vs. NC State (Feb. 24) or Wake Forest (March 2). The Pick 2 Plan packages start at $110, and can be purchased online, or by contacting the UVA Ticket Sales Team at (434) 924-8821 (Ext. 1). 

Broadcast Information

• The Virginia-Miami game will be televised on ESPN2, streamed online at ESPN.com/watch and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
• Live statistics are available on VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports app.

The New Head Coach

• Ryan Odom was named the University of Virginia’s Dean and Markel Families Men’s Head Basketball Coach on March 22.
• He spent the last two seasons at VCU, leading the Rams to a 52-21 record and 2025 NCAA Tournament berth.
• VCU won the 2025 Atlantic-10 Tournament and shared the A-10 regular-season championship.
• UVA is Odom’s fifth stint as a collegiate head coach. In 12 seasons, he has compiled a record of 224-127, including stops at Utah State (2021-23), UMBC (2017-2021), Lenoir-Rhyne (2016), Charlotte (2015, interim).
• Odom led UMBC, Utah State and VCU to the NCAA Tournament during his second season at those schools.
• Odom coached UMBC to an upset against Virginia in 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 who started 4-0 in 1905-06.
• Odom’s 23 wins are the most wins for a UVA first-year head coach, surpassing Jeff Jones’ 21 wins in 1990-91.

All-Time vs. Miami

• Virginia is 17-13 all-time vs. Miami in the series that dates to 1965-66.
• UVA has won eight of the last nine meetings, including a four-game win streak at John Paul Jones Arena.
• Fifteen of the last 18 meetings between the teams have been decided by 11 points or less.
• UVA has limited Miami to 58 or fewer points in seven of the last nine meetings.

Last Time vs. The Hurricanes

• Isaac McKneely scored 26 points and Taine Murray added a career-high 20 points to lead Virginia an 82-71 win at Miami on Jan. 29, 2025.
• McKneely matched a career high with six 3-pointers and Murray shot 8 of 12 from the field along with four 3-pointers.
• UVA drilled 11 3-pointers and shot 54.9% from the field.
• Blake Buchanan added 16 points and nine rebounds as UVA played without injured starters Elijah Saunders and Andrew Rohde.
• Matthew Cleveland led Miami with a game-high 27 points.

Last Time Out

• No. 14 Virginia raced to a 94-68 win at Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
• UVA (23-3, 11-2 ACC) drilled 10 of its 14 3-pointers to hold a 59-27 halftime advantage over the Yellow Jackets (11-16, 2-12 ACC).
• Thijs De Ridder led four Cavaliers in double figures with 22 points, while Malik Thomas scored 17.
• Dallin Hall recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists.
• Ugonna Onyenso and Johann Grünloh (11 points) each added four blocked shots for the Cavaliers.
• Jaeden Mustaf led Georgia Tech with 18 points.

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?

• The 2025-26 roster is highlighted by 12 newcomers, including Dallin Hall (BYU), Malik Thomas (San Francisco), Devin Tillis (UC Irvine), Jacari White (North Dakota State), Ugonna Onyenso (Kansas State), Sam Lewis (Toledo) and Martin Carrere (VCU).
• UVA added European imports Thijs De Ridder (Bilbao Basket), Johann Grünloh (RASTA Vechta) and true freshmen Silas Barksdale, Chance Mallory and Owen Odom.
• Redshirt sophomores Elijah Gertrude, Carter Lang and Desmond Roberts are the lone returners from last year’s team.
• De Ridder leads UVA in scoring (15.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg), while Thomas (12.4 ppg), Lewis (10.5 ppg) and Mallory (10.1 ppg) are UVA’s other leading scorers.
• Onyenso leads the team in blocks (2.7 bpg) and Hall leads in assists (4.3 apg).
• UVA is averaging 81.9 points and holding foes to 67.4 ppg.
• Seven different Cavaliers have led the team in scoring (Thijs De

Ridder, Dallin Hall, Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory, Ugonna Onyenso, Malik Thomas, Jacari White).

• UVA is netting 77.9 ppg and holding foes to 68.4 ppg in ACC play.

Hoos Among ACC Leaders

• Virginia ranks first in the ACC in rebounding (42.0), offensive rebounding (14.4) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.295), second in field goal percentage defense (.394), rebounding margin (+9.5) and blocks (5.9 bpg), third in scoring defense (67.4 ppg), defensive rebounds (27.7 rpg) and scoring margin (+14.3), fourth in 3-pointers (10.1) and assists (16.9 apg) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.55).
• Thijs De Ridder ranks 14th in scoring (15.9 ppg), seventh in field goal percentage (52.3%) and 18th in rebounds (6.5 rpg).
• Dallin Hall ranks first in assist/turnover ratio (3.3) and 12th in assists (4.3 apg).
• Ugonna Onyenso ranks second in blocks at 2.7 bpg, while Johann Grünloh ranks third in blocks at 2.1 bpg.
• Chance Mallory ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (3.0), fifth in steals (1.8 spg), 14th in assists (3.6 apg) and 20th in free throw percentage (75.8%).
• Jacari White ranks 16th in 3-pointers made per game (2.1).

On The Horizon

• No. 14 Virginia hosts NC State on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on the ACC Network and Virginia Sports Radio Network.