Virginia Men’s Basketball Prepares To Enter Crucial Three-Game Stretch

The Virginia Cavaliers have some tough competition ahead of them.

Jan 10, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas (1) drives to the basket past Stanford Cardinal forward Cameron Grant (20) in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The No. 16 Virginia Cavaliers' men's basketball program has been pushing its way through the ACC this season. The Cavaliers are currently running 14-2 overall and stand at 3-1 in conference play. To date, they've only faced losses to Butler (80-73) and Virginia Tech (95-85).

Once UVA dropped its ACC opener to the Hokies, many were left wondering if the Cavaliers would be able to regain the traction that they had lost. Simply put, it didn't take long for things to heat up again. Since then, they've defeated NC State (76-61), California (84-60) and Stanford (70-55). Now, Virginia is preparing to face Louisville tonight for another opportunity to extend its winning streak.

Once they wrap up this matchup, they will take on SMU on Jan. 17 and North Carolina on Jan. 24. Tough competition is on the horizon — will the Cavaliers be able to hold themselves up?

Challenges Are Ahead for UVA

Jan 7, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom (center) looks on from the sidelines against the California Golden Bears during the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The Cavaliers have done a phenomenal job of cementing themselves as serious threats in the ACC this year, but if they want to continue down that trajectory, they will need to clinch victories against the Cardinals, the Mustangs and the Tar Heels. This is not the time to start slowing down.

As of this week, North Carolina is ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25 while Louisville landed at No. 20 once again. SMU is not currently ranked, but that doesn't mean the Cavaliers should underestimate their program. UVA's upcoming matchups against the Cardinals and the Tar Heels will both be on the road, but fortunately, they will return home to face the Mustangs.

Earlier this week, head coach Ryan Odom sat down with the media to provide insight into his thoughts on UVA's conference play thus far. As he stated:

“It's been good so far. You know, obviously we've had, you know, a couple on the road, a couple at home, and now we're hitting a heavy road stretch here, which is not easy. We don't have an easy start, you know, relative to the rest of the conference, which is the way that it fell. And so, we've got to stand up here early and play well. It's a little bit different because there are so many teams in the conference and you know you're not playing everybody twice. You know you have one chance at each of these teams, and so you have to put everything into it and be ready, and certainly we know we have a big challenge coming up with Louisville here.” 

Ultimately, coming out on top in their next three matchups will allow Virginia to climb further in the ACC, putting themselves in a better position once the tournament rolls around. Each game matters, but it's important for the Cavaliers to focus on one matchup at a time. For now, Louisville is the team to beat.