Coming off their fifth straight road win, No. 18 Virginia is riding high-and now they’re looking to bring that same momentum back home when they host Pitt on Tuesday night in ACC play at John Paul Jones Arena.
The Cavaliers (18-3, 7-2 ACC) have been road warriors lately, but they’re also looking to re-establish their dominance in Charlottesville after their 11-game home winning streak was snapped in a tough 85-80 loss to then-No. 22 North Carolina on Jan.
- That loss was a rare stumble in what’s been an otherwise impressive season under first-year head coach Ryan Odom.
Virginia responded to that defeat the way good teams do-with grit, execution, and back-to-back road wins. First came a double-overtime thriller at Notre Dame, where the Cavaliers outlasted the Irish 100-97. Then, they followed that up with a 73-66 win at Boston College on Saturday, improving to 6-1 away from home.
“It’s hard to complain, winning that many games on the road,” Odom said. “It doesn’t matter what league you’re in-it’s difficult.”
And he’s right. Winning consistently on the road in college basketball, especially in a conference as deep as the ACC, is no easy task.
What’s been particularly impressive is how Virginia has handled adversity. In both of last week’s wins, they trailed at halftime.
Against Boston College, they were down 32-27 at the break before flipping the game in the second half. Jacari White’s clutch three-pointer gave Virginia a 55-52 lead with about 10 minutes to play, and they never looked back.
“To come away this week with two wins on the road is really, really difficult,” Odom added. “I’m proud of the execution down the stretch.”
Freshman Thijs De Ridder, who turned 23 on Saturday, gave the Cavaliers a steady scoring presence with 17 points against the Eagles-right on his season average. Malik Thomas continues to be a key contributor at 13.0 points per game, while Chance Mallory (10.5) and Sam Lewis (10.2) are also averaging double figures.
Offensively, this Virginia team looks nothing like the grind-it-out squads of years past. Under Odom, they’re averaging 84.0 points per game-a massive jump from the 64.8 they posted last year under interim coach Ron Sanchez, and a far cry from the 62.9 in Tony Bennett’s final season in 2023-24. This is a Cavaliers team that wants to push the pace and score, and so far, it’s working.
As for Pitt (9-13, 2-7 ACC), it’s been a season of growing pains. The Panthers are coming off a 63-52 loss at then-No.
22 Clemson, dropping them to 0-2 against ranked opponents this year. They’ve now lost four of their last five and are just 1-5 on the road.
That loss to Clemson also marked Pitt’s 15th straight defeat to the Tigers-a streak that underscores the challenges Jeff Capel’s squad is facing midway through the ACC schedule. The Tigers jumped out to a 33-16 halftime lead and never let Pitt get back into it, completing a season sweep after a narrow win in Pittsburgh earlier this year.
“We played Clemson close (the first time),” Capel said postgame. “We played them well. That’s another one where if we can close around the basket and make some free throws, maybe the outcome is a little bit different.”
Roman Siulepa and Damarco Minor led the way with 12 points each against Clemson, but Pitt’s leading scorer, Brandin Cummings (12.5 ppg), was held to just two points off the bench. Cummings has been a bright spot this season, but the Panthers will need more from him if they’re going to hang with a high-powered Virginia offense.
Cameron Corhen (12.2), Barry Dunning Jr. (11.9), and Siulepa (10.0) are also averaging double digits, with Minor adding 9.5 points and a team-high 3.5 assists per game.
The road ahead doesn’t get easier for Pitt. Three of their next four games are against ranked teams, starting with this trip to Charlottesville. For Virginia, it’s a chance to keep climbing the ACC standings and reassert their home-court edge.
With the Cavaliers firing on all cylinders offensively and showing resilience on the road, they’ll look to bring that same energy back to John Paul Jones Arena-this time with the home crowd behind them.