Ryan Odom is quickly earning himself a reputation as one of the best coaches in the sport. What makes it even more impressive is that he’s only been a power-conference head coach for two seasons.Â
Odom Beat Virginia as a 16-Seed, Now He Coaches There
Odom has had a remarkable coaching journey, leading four different programs in the last 10 seasons.Â
He got his first Division I head coaching job at UMBC in 2016. Just two years later, he led the program to one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history. Coincidentally, UMBC defeated No. 1 overall seed Virginia, the program Odom now coaches, in the first round.
For his second stop, Odom would leave UMBC to take a bigger job at Utah State ahead of the 2021-22 season. He was there for only two seasons, reaching the tournament in his second year.
Odom then took the VCU job, where he found success again, taking yet another mid-major program to the tournament in just two seasons. This made him one of the biggest names on the offseason coaching carousel prior to last season, when he ultimately decided to take the job at Virginia.
Year One Produced 30 Wins and a Tournament Run Nobody Expected
It was not an easy task to field a competitive roster in the ACC in year one for Odom. He had to build an entirely new roster in the offseason, as all five starters from the season prior either transferred out or graduated.
Out of Virginia’s five starters from last season, three were transfers, and two were international recruits. Despite all this adversity, Virginia finished the season with a 30-6 record (15-3 in conference play) and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. This was their highest seed in the big dance since the 2019 season when they won the national championship.
They beat Wright State in their first-round matchup, their first NCAA tournament victory in seven seasons. The Cavaliers would go on to lose in the Round of 32 to Tennessee in a close contest, but it was still an extremely encouraging season for Ryan Odom and the Virginia basketball program.Â
The No. 9 Ranking Reflects a Roster Built to Compete for a Title
Virginia goes into this season with vastly different expectations than they did going into last season.
The Cavaliers are ranked No. 9 in the preseason AP poll, which is the second-best out of any ACC team, behind only Duke. One of the biggest reasons for Virginia’s high ranking is the amount of returning talent from last season. In fact, they are returning their top six scorers from last season.Â
De Ridder and Grunloh Give Virginia an Elite Frontcourt
The most notable returner, is Thijs De Ridder, Virginia’s leading scorer, rebounder, and first-team All-ACC selection from last season. The 6-foot-9 forward out of Belgium is also the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. It’s notable that Odom convinced him to return, given De Ridder likely would have been drafted.
Seven-foot incoming sophomore center Johann Grunloh was another starter in Virginia’s frontcourt who is back with the program. He started all 36 games he played in last season and was a key part of their frontcourt. Grunloh was second on the team in rebounds at 5.2 per game and also second in blocks with 2.2 per contest.
Lewis Returns as a Deep Threat and Mallory Is Ready to Break Out
6-foot-6 senior guard Sam Lewis also returns. He had a great season after transferring from Toledo. Lewis averaged 10.6 points per game and was a huge threat from three-point range, shooting over 40%.Â
5-foot-10 point guard Chance Mallory could be one of the ACC’s biggest breakout candidates this season. Mallory was a four-star recruit in the 2025 recruiting class. He was fifth on the team in points at 9.3 points per game while also averaging 3.4 assists. Additionally, his 1.6 steals per game was the best on the team. If he can become a bigger threat from three-point range this season, it would be huge for Virginia.
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Odom Raided the Mid-Majors to Rebuild the Backcourt
Ryan Odom was also able to bring in some solid players via the transfer portal to strengthen their roster.
Three of those additions came from the mid-major level and should make a significant impact on Virginia’s backcourt this season. Loyola Marymount guard transfer Jan Vide, Arkansas State guard transfer Christian Harmon, and UC Irvine guard transfer Jurian Dixon headline the additions.Â
Vide was a top-100 recruit out of high school, originally committing to UCLA. Â He spent the last two seasons at Loyola Marymount. He started in every game he played for them last season, averaging 12.1 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds. At 6-foot-6, he has unusual size for a guard with playmaking, but three-point shooting is something he could improve on, knocking them down at just 32.3% last season.
Harmon is another mid-major transfer who should make an impact this season. The Arkansas State transfer earned All-Sun Belt honors last season after spending his first two years of college at the JUCO level. Harmon averaged 12.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game last season. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard gives Virginia another experienced scoring option in the backcourt.
Jurian Dixon comes over from a UC Irvine program that has had plenty of success the last few seasons at the mid-major level. The 6-foot-5 guard went on to lead the team in scoring at 15.9 points per game. Dixon also averaged 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, knocking down 38.5% of his three-point attempts. This made him a first-team All-Big West selection.
Virginia Has the Pieces for a Deep March Run
It’s remarkable what Ryan Odom has been able to build at Virginia in such a short amount of time.
After taking an almost entirely new roster to the NCAA tournament in his first season, he now has a team with legitimate championship aspirations heading into year two.
With four returning starters, one of the best frontcourts in the country, and several talented additions through the transfer portal, the Cavaliers have all the pieces to make a deep run in March.
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