Five Reasons Virginia Should Be In Everyone’s Way Too Early Top 25

Virginia had a great debut season under head coach Ryan Odom, winning 30 games, getting to the ACC Championship, and making it back to the NCAA Tournament, where they won a game. While the season did not end how they envisioned, this program has a bright future thanks to Odom and here are five reasons UVA should be in everyone's way too early top 25's for next season.

1. One of the best head coaches in college basketball

For some this may be a stretch because he hasn’t one a national championship just yet, but Ryan Odom is one of the best coaches you will find in the sport. He just wins. In his debut season, Odom led the Cavaliers to 30 wins and they had a number of nonconference wins over teams like Texas, Maryland, Ohio State, and others. Coach Odom wants to play of the best of the best and challenge his team that will only make them better come March and be able to make a run. He has shown he doesn’t necessarily need five star guys or high end talent to produce a winning product. When you can do that, it only adds to your value as a head coach.

2. Dominant Player In The ACC

Virginia is be a major player at the top of the ACC next season. They have the talent, coaching, and experiecen from this past season that will only make them better heading into next year. They took their chops from Duke this past season losing a couple of times but it will only make them better. There are also a lot of unknowns in the ACC with North Carolina making a coaching change and bringing in former NBA coach Mike Malone. NC State also lost its head coach Will Wade who went to LSU. For some of the top teams in the conference this past season there are a lot of questions marks, but not with the Cavaliers. That is why they should be a dominant player in the conference.

3. Return Offensive Core

The Cavaliers return Thijs De Ridder, Chance Mallory, Johann Grünloh as key pieces from a year ago. Mallory was a true freshman who provided valuable scoring, playmaking, and an ability to run an offense off the bench. De Ridder led the team in points and rebounds. Grünloh became a two-way weapon for the Cavaliers down the stretch and was a cornerstone player defensively. Virginia also brought back Martin Carrerre and Elijah Gertrude who hope to carve out a bigger role in 2026.

4. High Level Defense

The full court press defense for the majority of games was effective for head coach Ryan Odom throughout his debut season with the Hoos. It made teams speed up which resulted in bad shots and possessions. The Cavaliers were also able to get a number of steals and push in transition for easy buckets this past season with its defensive intensity. Above that their interior defense was one of the best in the country led by Ugonna Onyenso who averaged nearly three blocks a game. Onyenso won’t be back next season, but Grünloh will be and he was a part of leading one of the best units in blocks a year ago. With how good Virginia is defensively, they should be able to have another good season.

5. Player Development Under Odom

You can look at a number of players who developed last season under Odom like Jacari White, Sam Lewis, Mallory, De Ridder, Grünloh, Onyenso, Malik Thomas and others. They got better as the season wore on, and played some of their best basketball when it counted the most. Some of them were transfers who were looking for a new start but thrived under coach Odom’s system and played at a high level. Imagine those same players with another year under Odom. They would be even better. Don’t take my word for it. Look at De Ridder, Grünloh, and Mallory who all want to run it back with coach Odom. It speaks volumes.