Ryan Odom Praises Yellow Jackets Ahead of Tuesday's Matchup: "We Respect Georgia Tech"

Coach Odom with a strong respect for the Yellow Jackets and its basketball program

Feb 7, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom looks on during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

It hasn’t been an easy month for the Yellow Jackets, who haven’t won a game since January 17th against NC State. They even caught a stray from NC State head coach Will Wade this past weekend. 

"The NCAA Tournament? We're a long way away from that. This team lost to Georgia Tech. We'd be lucky to make it to Dayton."

It was certainly a low blow for the program and one that currently sits at 11-15 on the year and 2-11 in conference play. The consistency just hasn’t been there for the Yellow Jackets in 2025. Injuries have continued to pile up and have been a deterrent for the camaraderie, cohesion, and success of the program this year. However, Virginia head coach Ryan Odom doesn’t see the Yellow Jackets in that way and even praised the program for its shooting ability and how they attack the basket. 

“Yeah, they're a good basketball team, and there's not a layup, you know, in our conference. You know, we respect Georgia Tech. We respect their players and their coaches. Um, and we know it's going to be a dog fight. You know, every game for us has been hard. You know, it's not like we've, you know, been in a situation where we are blowing teams out. You know, we've got to, you know, we have to manage this game and and and go in there with a sense of urgency and a competitive fire, and we know they're going to be ready. They shoot the ball well, they attack the basket, and we've got to make sure that we're, you know, we're the aggressor.”  

Coach Odom has respect for all of his opponents and is certainly not taking this one lightly. He recently picked up his 22nd win and looks to continue to build towards the goals the Cavaliers have for the season. The Yellow Jackets are desperately trying to end their skid. They can also add a Quad 1 victory to their resume and get out of the 18th spot in the conference. They need to get to a 15th spot to get to the ACc tournament to have a shot. A win would instil confidence and put the Yellow Jackets in a better situation than before. It would still be an uphill climb, but it could be beneficial, especially for some of the young players on the rosters getting experience and confidence, which is vital for their development. 

Will the Yellow Jackets play desperately? 

I think the biggest thing to watch over the final stretch of games is whether the Yellow Jackets will pack it in or will fight tooth and nail until the end. We will find out a lot about this team with games coming up against No.14 Virginia, No.21 Louisville, Florida State, California, and Clemson. That is a tough stretch of games and will reveal a lot about the direction of where the program is headed moving forward.