UVA Men’s Basketball Is Clicking on All Cylinders Heading Into ACC Play

The Virginia Cavaliers are clicking on the court more now than ever.

Dec 22, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom looks on from the bench against the American University Eagles in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball program just clinched yet another win last night, this time over American at John Paul Jones Arena with a final score of 95-51. Now carrying a near-perfect 11-1 overall record, it's now time for the Cavaliers to open ACC play against Virginia Tech (11-2) on Dec. 31.

Fortunately for Virginia, things appear to be aligning on the court quite well on both sides of the ball. Earlier in the season, there wasn't much concern revolving around UVA's offensive abilities, but rather, there were some questions about how they'd hold up defensively. It's been a work in progress, but the Cavaliers have been putting in the work, and it's starting to show.

Virginia Clicks Just in Time

Dec 22, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Dallin Hall (30) drives to the basket as American University Eagles guard Kade Sebastian (4) and Eagles forward Luke Brown (16) defend in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

UVA head coach Ryan Odom has mentioned several times that his program needs to improve defensively, particularly when it comes to rebounding. However, their efforts have been paying off as they're now ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25. The Cavaliers don't seem to have any trouble turning up the heat offensively, and now, they're starting to show intensity on the other side of the ball. With their ACC opener on the horizon, during Odom's latest postgame press conference, he weighed in on how his program is feeling:

"We feel good. We certainly, we would have loved to have beaten Butler, but we didn't. I think we've developed some shared experiences. This group has that, can propel it, you know, forward. The other night against Maryland clearly helped us today. It opened our guys' eyes to like you have to play every play regardless of, you know, the opponent or what the score is or where you're at, you know, at that particular moment. And, you know, just encouraging our guys overall to be present, to be present and in the moment, and we realize that the crowds are going to get bigger, whether it's on the road or at home. The stakes are going to get higher. The pressure is going to elevate, and we have to handle it, you know, really, really well. We're not going to be perfect at that. And we understand that because this is a really good league this year. Our league's off to a great start relative to its competitors, and we're excited to get going."

UVA must maintain this momentum heading into conference play — they will be facing some top competitors who will stop at nothing to clinch a victory. Their first ACC meeting will be against the Hokies, followed by NC State (9-4) on Jan. 3 and California (12-1) on Jan. 7. Pressure is on, and time will tell if the Cavaliers can hold up against their conference opponents.