Virginia basketball heads into the 2026/2027 season with real buzz, but also plenty of uncertainty. After the frustrating loss to Tennessee in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, the Cavaliers added some intriguing pieces this offseason and now face a year full of questions.
That makes this a good time to look at three bold calls for UVA hoops.
Start with Chance Mallory, who has heard the size criticism since he arrived in Charlottesville. The knock has always been obvious, but so has the skill set that helps him answer it. He brings a sudden pull-up game and a smooth shooting touch, and Virginia fans saw last season that he’s more than just a small point guard who passes and defends.
There’s real scoring upside there, and Ryan Odom and his staff may lean into it more in 2026/2027. Mallory put up 9.3 points per game last season with a 50.6% effective field goal percentage, including 34.5% from beyond the arc. That three-point number still has room to climb, but he finished the year looking sharper against Queens, Rider and Texas.
With Sam Lewis the only clear backcourt scorer in Virginia’s system, a jump into the 14.0-15.0 PPG range for Mallory would not be shocking. In an Odom offense, that kind of production would put him squarely in leading-scorer territory.
The frontcourt has its own intrigue, and Johann Grünloh has been one of the offseason talking points after adding a good amount of muscle. The hope is that the added strength helps him in areas where he needed it most, especially on the glass.
But there’s also a path where Favour Ibe starts cutting into his minutes. If Grünloh doesn’t come out playing at the level the staff wants, Ibe could force the issue. Ugonna Onyenso already had a mini-breakout last season because Grünloh was underwhelming more often than the coaches liked.
Ibe, a 7'1" freshman center from Mt. Zion Prep in Maryland and a Nigeria native, may already have a better offensive game in the paint than Grünloh.
His shot-blocking should also carry over right away. Onyenso averaged 18.6 MPG in 2025/2026, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Ibe matched that kind of role, or even surpassed it, in 2026/2027.
The boldest prediction of the bunch might be this one: Virginia could have enough scoring depth to become a top offensive team. On paper, the Cavaliers have a long list of players who can put the ball in the basket - Chance Mallory, Jurian Dixon, Sam Lewis, Christian Harmon, Thijs De Ridder and others all have the ability to average 12 or more points per game.
If that kind of balance shows up, UVA could climb into a much higher offensive tier. Last season, the Cavaliers finished No. 7 in the ACC with a team scoring average of 77.3 points per game against conference opponents, and that number likely has to rise for the program to keep finding success.
The defense carried the load at times last year, but Virginia can’t afford to be one-dimensional in 2026/2027.
In Other News...
Michigan Great Phil Hubbard Earns Long Overdue Honor
Phil Hubbards basketball journey has taken him from McKinley High School to Michigan, through an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and a long NBA career, and now it is getting a lasting tribute back in Canton, Ohio. The former pro and current assistant coach at St. Paul VI Catholic High School will have a court renamed in his honor at Preston Young Sr. Mini Park, a nod to a career that has stretched across every level of the game.
The recognition is set for Aug. 8 during a mini park reunion, adding a hometown layer to a tribute that has been a long time coming. Hubbard has stayed close to the sport as part of Glenn Farellos staff at Paul VI for the past six years, so the honor lands not just as a look back at what he accomplished, but as a reminder that his influence is still being felt on the sidelines. [Read more 🡒]
UVAs Early Bracket Respect Is Already Sparking A Ryan Odom Debate
Joe Lunardis latest look at the 2026-27 NCAA Tournament has already given Virginia something it rarely gets this early in the calendar: a little bracket respect. In his updated projection, the Cavaliers are sitting as a No. 3 seed in the South Region, a placement that naturally invites a bigger conversation about where Ryan Odoms program could be headed if the early optimism holds.
The bracket is still pure projection, of course, and plenty will change before March arrives, but the path Lunardi mapped out is the kind of thing that gets attention around Charlottesville. Virginia is slotted into a region that keeps other ACC contenders elsewhere on the board, and the overall picture only adds to the sense that this teams early standing is becoming a talking point long before the real tournament field is set. [Read more 🡒]