While fall may have only just arrived, Virginia basketball is already back in motion. The Cavaliers began official practices this week, even though NCAA workouts, team sessions, and strength and conditioning work have been rolling since the start of the semester. Both programs also spent the summer getting in work.
The first games are still a few weeks away, but the calendar is moving quickly. Virginia’s women open the season at home against Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday, Nov. 2, while the men host Drexel on Tuesday, Nov.
- Tip times for both matchups will be announced later.
The men’s preseason schedule arrives first, and it comes with three exhibition chances for fans to get an early look. Those days of closed scrimmages and the old Blue-White game are long gone. Now there are public exhibitions, neutral-site events, and TV windows that turn preseason into something much more visible.
Virginia opens that stretch Sunday against Vanderbilt in Charleston, S.C., in the LinkU Invitational. If the weather cooperates, the teams will meet at Credit One Stadium, a tennis venue in the city, with tipoff set for noon. The game will air on ESPN+.
After that, the Cavaliers return home to face Richmond on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. as part of Homecomings weekend on campus. Their final exhibition is on the road against Villanova on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. No television information has been announced for either of those games.
There was also movement on the women’s side this week. Coach Aaron Roussell announced that Damin Altizer has been hired as the Director of Player Development.
Altizer has trained Chance Mallory and Kymora Johnson through his DR1VEN Training business and has also worked with professional players including Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter. He was a walk-on for the UVA men’s basketball program during the 2006-2007 season.
Roussell, Altizer and Cavaliers men’s assistant coach Bryce Crawford were among the featured speakers at the Basketball Coaches Association of Virginia coaches’ clinic last week.
Former Virginia men’s coach Tony Bennett also made two speaking stops over the past week. Bennett, who finished his UVA tenure with 364 wins and led the Hoos to the 2019 National Championship, was a featured guest at The Norfolk Forum and spoke about the Five Pillars and more.
He also visited Norfolk Academy, where he told students, “You all have incredible gifts.” Former basketball student manager Carter Furr introduced Bennett before the talk, and a Q&A followed with Head of School Travis Larrabee using questions submitted by students.
Fan(s) of the Week were spotted cheering on UVA from Scott Stadium, while the Student Fan(s) of the Week were captured with the message: “Smile if you love the Wahoos!”
And the featured image of the week carried the right kind of energy for the season ahead: Thijs De Ridder and Virginia basketball are back, with the first exhibition game set for Sunday.
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Virginia Gets An Early Stress Test For Ryan Odom's New Core
Virginias next version will get an unusual early-stage gauge in Charleston, where the Cavaliers are set for an outdoor exhibition against Vanderbilt at Credit One Stadium. It is the kind of game that can reveal a lot before the calendar even turns, especially for a program beginning to take shape under Ryan Odom after last seasons 30-6 run.
For Virginia, the spotlight will fall on a mix of returning pieces and newcomers trying to settle into roles, with Chance Mallory among the players to watch as the backcourt starts to sort itself out. The matchup should also give Odom and his staff a first real read on how this new core handles a power-conference opponent in a setting that is anything but routine. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Has Two Big Problems To Fix Before ACC Play
Virginia comes home to Scott Stadium this week at 2-1, and the timing of the Delaware game makes it more than a routine nonconference stop. After a loss that exposed some of the teams issues, the Cavaliers are looking for cleaner play on both sides of the ball before ACC action begins, with next weekends trip to Florida State looming as the real marker for where they stand.
Delaware offers a useful tune-up, but it also brings a challenge that should stress Virginias secondary and force some answers in the back end. With this matchup landing between the setback against West Virginia and the start of conference play, the Cavaliers have a narrow window to settle the offense, tighten the defense and make sure the trip to Tallahassee does not arrive with more questions than confidence. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Needs A Sharper Showing Before ACC Play Begins
Virginia closes out its non-conference slate Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at Scott Stadium against a Delaware team that has made a smooth jump from FCS to FBS and comes in at 2-1. For the Cavaliers, this is less about the opponents pedigree than about finding a cleaner rhythm before ACC play begins, with the offense and defense both still carrying some uneven stretches from the first part of the schedule.
The spotlight is on Virginias offensive line, passing game and overall defensive sharpness, because those areas will shape whether the Cavaliers head into conference action with confidence or more questions. There is at least a possibility of help up front, with left guard Noah Josey potentially nearing a return from an ankle issue, but Virginia still needs a more polished all-around showing against a Delaware team that has already shown it can handle the step up in competition. [Read more 🡒]