Updated Starting Five and Rotation Projection For Virginia Basketball With One Roster Spot Available

Virginia Basketball has been slower to put together its roster for the 2026-2027 season, but things are finally starting to come together for the Hoos.

The main focus for Ryan Odom and this program this offseason was retention. Virginia was losing Dallin Hall, Malik Thomas, Jacari White, Ugonna Onyenso, and Devin Tillis, but they prioritized retaining players who were eligible to return, such as first team All-ACC forward Thijs de Ridder, sharpshooter Sam Lewis, Johann Grunloh, and Chance Mallory, all of whom played a key role in getting Virginia to the NCAA Tournament and winning a game for the first time since their 2019 national championship season.

On top of that, Virginia has added three new players from the transfer portal and one key high school recruit, giving them 14 players on their roster and only one spot left.

Now that things have taken shape for Ryan Odom and the Cavaliers, let's project the starting five and the rotation.

Guard

Starters: Chance Mallory and Jurian Dixon

Backups: Christian Harmon and Elijah Gertrude

Will Mallory be able to take the leap from bench player to start next season? That is going to be a key question facing the talented guard, who was stellar during his freshman season in Charlottesville.

Who starts alongside him is just as big a question. Dixon was the first player to commit to Odom from the transfer portal, and he was one of the top three-point shooters in the portal. Dixon shot 38% from three last season, and that improved a little in conference play to 39%. He is a movement shooter with size and that will be a needed skill in this lineup.

Harmon is an Arkansas State transfer who is likely to factor into the backup guard minutes pretty heavily. Gertrude, a former top 50 recruit, should be in line for the biggest role on a team in his college career. Gertrude played in 16 games in 2023-2024, then missed the next season due to injury, and then returned to play in 17 games last season. The coaching staff seems thrilled that he is back and he could be the breakout candidate that nobody is talking about for this season.

I think Virginia could still use a true point guard off the bench and we will see if Odom uses the last roster spot for just that.

Another name to watch is Martin Carrere.

Forwards

Starters: Sam Lewis and Thijs de Ridder

Backups: Kalu Anya and Silas Barksdale

Lewis and de Ridder are going to be locks to be starters for this team, and getting them to return for another season at UVA was a big win for Ryan Odom and his staff. Lewis was one of the top three-point shooters in the ACC and de Ridder was a first team All-ACC forward.

Anya did not play for Saint Louis this past season, but the year before, he was the top rebounder for the Billikens and was third in the entire A10 conference in rebounding. He gives the Cavaliers length, athleticism, and rebounding ability off the bench.

Barksdale was a top 100 recruit according to 247Sports and while he did not play a big factor last season, I think he is another breakout candidate.

Center

Starter: Johann Grunloh

Backup: Favour Ibe

Ibe committed to Virginia last week, and the 7'1 250 LBS four-star recruit might play a big role as the backup center on this team unless Odom goes out and adds another from the transfer portal.

Grunloh is the unquestioned starter, but I still think that he was only scratching the surface of his potential. With Ugonna Onyenso gone, he is going to have to step up and make sure that UVA's defense does not take a meaningful step back, especially at protecting the rim.

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