Rivalry Continued: Maryland Men's Basketball To Play Virginia This Season
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The beauty of college basketball is the rivalries formed between programs, leading to matchups that create memories for a lifetime; that narrative holds strong between Maryland and Virginia. The two historic programs share a history dating back to 1913, and will open up another chapter on Nov. 13th at Xfinity Center when the two teams meet for an in-state matchup.
A historic rivalry returns: 🐢 vs ⚔️
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) May 19, 2026
📰 https://t.co/t6JDihRofZ pic.twitter.com/O5Ppf9XgSJ
Maryland faced Virginia for the final time as a member of the ACC in the 2013 season, when it upset the No. 4-ranked Cavaliers, 75-69 in overtime, in front of a sellout crowd of 17,950 in the regular-season finale. It also ended UVA's 13-game winning streak.
Scott Wells led the way with 20 points, and Dez Wills added 18 points, guiding Maryland in the thrilling ot finish.
Despite the Terps leaving the ACC in 2013, where they had their annual clashes with the Cavaliers season after season, the Terps have found another way to meet their familiar foe, beginning with the first of a four-game series this past season.
Matchup no. 1 took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the No. 23-ranked Cavaliers defeated the Terps, 80-72, after an offensive explosion in the second half. It was a tale of runs that guided UVA despite a strong, balanced effort from the Terps on both offense and defense. Virginia used a 13-0 run to end the first half with the lead, and a 10-0 lead in the middle of the second to regain control of a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Overall, Maryland leads the all-time head-to-head series, 108-77, with 64 wins at home and 39 on the road. However, the Cavaliers hold the advantage, recently winning 9 of the past 10 meetings dating back to the 2010 season.
Entering the 2026-27 season, the Terps will be celebrating 25 years since they were crowned National Champions in 2002, when they defeated now Big Ten rival Indiana. They'll look to turn the chapter on a forgettable season, where first-year head coach Buzz Williams and his team finished 12-21 (4-16 Big Ten), struggling to build consistency, which resulted in an offseason full of moves.
Following the 2026 season, Maryland will head back to Charlottesville in 2027 and finally host once again at College Park in 2028 to close out the series.
It will be an exciting time, hopefully, for Terps fans, in which Maryland boasts a talented 2026 overall class and look to reestablish themselves not only in the Big Ten but the country as well.
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Jaden's sports journalism career began at the College of Southern Maryland from 2022-2023, where he was brought in to cover baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at CSM. In late 2023, he began interning at the University of Maryland Athletics Department as a contributing writer to help develop feature stories and game recaps. He also creates his own sports media content on professional Washington teams with LegacyMaker Sports Network.