Virginia is headed back to California this season, and the matchup with Cal looks like another one that tilts heavily toward the Cavaliers.
The last time these teams met, Virginia rolled to an 84-60 win in Charlottesville, and Ryan Odom’s group did it with balance. Five Cavaliers finished with 12 or more points in that game, a reminder of how deep and efficient this roster can be when it’s clicking.
That edge shows up again when the individual matchups are lined up one by one. In the backcourt, Virginia’s Mallory brings a steadier all-around profile than Cooper, who is coming off a 2025-26 season at Wright State that included 13.4 points, 2.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Cooper also saw Virginia up close in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and scored 13 points, but he needed 18 shots to get there and went 1-6 from three. Mallory’s numbers - 9.3 points, 3.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds while shooting 42.2% overall and 34.5% from deep - give Virginia the cleaner option, especially when the shooting gets tighter against top competition.
On the wing, the Cavaliers again have the more trustworthy player. Dixon put together a strong 2025-26 season at UC Irvine, posting 15.9 points per game while shooting 43.0% from the field and 38.5% from three.
Ross, meanwhile, produced 6.7 points per game at Georgia and shot 31.0% from beyond the arc. The level of competition is part of the conversation, but the gap here is still clear: Ross has mostly been a reserve-level player, while Dixon was the more productive and more dangerous scorer.
Virginia also has the better catch-and-shoot threat.
Lewis and Indrusaitis shape up as another matchup where the Cavaliers hold the edge. Lewis averaged 10.6 points, shot 45.5% overall and 40.3% from three, while also giving Virginia dependable defense.
Indrusaitis has scoring punch - enough to go for 20-plus on any night - and it would not be a shock if he becomes Cal’s leading scorer. Still, consistency remains the issue.
Lewis has the advantage there, and that matters.
The frontcourt looks even more lopsided. De Ridder’s 2025-26 line - 15.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 50.8% shooting and 35.7% from three - puts him in a different class than Wilkins, who logged 4.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game at Georgia while shooting 21.1% from deep. De Ridder enters 2026-27 as the best power forward in the ACC, and Wilkins is still trying to establish himself as more than an athletic transfer with upside.
At center, Grunloh has already shown he can handle this kind of assignment. He averaged 7.1 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 53.3% from the field, and in last season’s meeting with Dort, he was excellent: 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a block in 21 minutes. Dort, by contrast, was scoreless in 14 minutes and finished with one rebound, one block and a turnover.
Cal’s roster churn only makes the task harder. The Golden Bears have now lost Dai Dai Ames - yes, the former Cavalier - to Tennessee, another hit in a stretch where the portal keeps stripping away talent.
That kind of turnover makes life difficult in the ACC, and it’s part of why Virginia’s last visit to Cal feels like a warning sign. The Cavaliers throttled the Golden Bears a year ago, and based on these matchups, that result looks very much in play again.
In Other News...
Virginia Opens ACC Play With A Chance To Prove Last Year Was Real
Virginia gets its ACC slate started with a familiar-looking test, one that carries a little more weight than a typical September matchup. NC State comes to Scott Stadium with both teams trying to establish what kind of season theyre about to have, and for the Cavaliers, the opener offers an early chance to show that last years progress was not a one-off. The setting adds to the feel of it, too, with two programs that know each other well now meeting in a game that still has the feel of a fresh checkpoint.
The betting market suggests Virginia should have the edge, which only raises the pressure to back it up on the field. What makes this one more interesting is how it landed on the schedule in the first place, because this game was originally penciled in as a non-conference date before ACC changes turned it into a league opener. For Virginia, that means the spotlight arrives immediately, and the first real proof point of the season is sitting there right at the start. [Read more 🡒]
Virginias ACC Climb Could Decide A Much Bigger Bowl Ceiling
Virginias path to the postseason is still being drawn in pencil, but the range of possible destinations says plenty about how much is at stake this fall. Depending on how the season unfolds and where the Cavaliers land in the ACC standings, the projections could send them to bowls like the Holiday, Mayo, Gasparilla or Pop-Tarts, a reminder that one strong stretch can change the whole shape of the trip after the regular season ends.
The bigger wrinkle is that Virginias ceiling may not be decided only by its own record, but by how the leagues upper tier sorts itself out. A deep ACC climb could put the Cavaliers in position for a better bowl slot, while a crowded race and outside results could push them down unless they handle a key conference matchup and finish ahead of the pack they are chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Opens With A Test That Will Define Its ACC Hopes
The season opener against N.C. State arrives with Virginia carrying more optimism than it has in recent years, thanks to an experienced roster, coaching stability and a schedule that looks manageable on paper. Even so, the Cavaliers know the first Saturday matters more than most. Media members picked them sixth in the ACC, which only sharpens the importance of getting off to the right start if this team wants to stay in the conversation for the league race.
Virginia also has to reverse a frustrating trend against the Wolfpack, a matchup that has repeatedly put the Cavaliers on the back foot. The opener is less about style points than setting a tone for a season in which the pieces are there, but the margin for missteps is thin. For a team with postseason ambitions, this is the kind of game that can make those hopes feel real from the outset or leave the path looking a lot steeper right away. [Read more 🡒]