Virginia Basketball Continues to Get Favorable March Madness Projections As The Season Nears

Will Virginia make the NCAA Tournament in Ryan Odom's first season?

Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia head coach Ryan Odom answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

College Basketball season is getting closer and one team that has continued to gain steam as a potential ACC threat is Virginia. The Cavaliers stumbled last season after the news of Tony Bennett's retirement, but they are reloaded under head coach Ryan Odom and ready to get back to the NCAA Tournament and compete for a top seed in the ACC.

Through the summer, Virginia was seen as a fringe NCAA Tournament, but they have started to gain steam as a tournament team and were even picked to finish 5th in yesterday's ACC Preseason Media Poll. The Cavaliers have to earn it on the court, but this team is starting to get more attention.

Tournament team?

Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia head coach Ryan Odom answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

Virginia is going to have a shot to make the Tournament and in the latest bracketology update from ESPN's Joe Lunardi, he still has UVA among the last four teams in, alongside Boise State, Washington, and Villanova.

The Cavaliers pace of play and their ability to hit a high-volume of three-pointers are the reasons to be optimistic this season. I think the Cavaliers hit on transfer portal guys like Malik Thomas, Dallin Hall, and international prospect Thijs De Ridder.

In a recent article, CBS Sports analyst Matt Norlander named Virginia as one of the most improved teams in the country next season:

"After spending last week on the recruiting trail and checking in with a medley of coaches, I can report that many a coach in college hoops believes Ryan Odom's Virginia Cavaliers will take a big jump in his first season. The Wahoos went 15-17 last season, fated to toil under Ron Sanchez in the wake of Tony Bennett's head-turning retirement in mid-October. Odom was plucked from nearby VCU, given a $10 million-plus roster budget for the upcoming season and has been able to load up on a team that figures to be top-five in the ACC.

BYU transfer Dallin Hall and former Kansas State forward Ugonna Onyenso have to vastly improve their production from last season, and the additions of three high-level mid-major scorers will give Virginia plenty to work with on offense. Malik Thomas (19.9 ppg at San Francisco), Jacari White (17.1 ppg at North Dakota State) and Sam Lewis (16.2 ppg at Toledo) will likely combine to put up more than 30 points per night. Then there's one of the best gets of the offseason, Belgium forward Thijs De Ridder, who has two years of professional experience in Spain underneath his belt. The 6-foot-8 combo forward put up 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 39.1% from 3 in one of the best Euro leagues.

Odom -- who has a career .636 winning percentage over more than a decade of coaching mid-major programs -- is ready for this. Virginia has the pieces. I'll be surprised if the Cavs aren't a single-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament next season."

Expectations are slowly building for this team and they are going to be a contender to be one of the nation's most improved teams.