In an era of college basketball defined by player movement, the 2026-27 Virginia Cavaliers are an anomaly.
More than 2,500 Division I men’s basketball players entered the transfer portal this spring, but none of them came from Virginia. After the program went 30-6 and finished second in the ACC last season, it retained every single one of its players with eligibility remaining — seven in total and four who logged major minutes. “Our number one goal was retention,” coach Ryan Odom tells Hoops HQ. “Retaining guys who know Virginia, care about this place, care about the program. We’re excited about the year that we had but not satisfied, and motivated to come back and do even better.”
Virginia’s rare retention is the reason hopes are so high in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers’ success in 2025-26 came as somewhat of a surprise, but they won’t sneak up on anyone this season. Led by a stellar returning core and a strong transfer class, the program sits at No. 4 in BartTorvik’s preseason rankings and is considered a real threat to cut down the nets come April. Odom’s team not only has the talent, continuity and depth of a national title contender — it has a massive chip on its shoulder, fueled by last season’s shortcomings.
“If we’re not the hunters and we’re allowing people to hunt us, well, that’s on us. We’ve got to be the guys who are hunting,” Odom says. “Last year’s last year, and what we did was awesome, but it’s in the books. It doesn’t guarantee us anything. That’s the great thing about sports: Every year brings a new challenge. And for this particular team, we do have a chip, and we’ve got to make sure that that chip’s front and center and we’re competing to do big things this season.”
Odom has been laying the groundwork for this season since his arrival 18 months ago. In his mind, retention efforts never stop. Everything he and his staff do from the moment a player joins their program is setting them up to either succeed or fail the following offseason.
It helped, of course, that Virginia had such a special season. When Odom took over following a two-year stint at VCU, he had to rebuild most of the roster. The Cavaliers welcomed 12 new players last summer and ranked 343rd in continuity heading into the 2025-26 campaign. Expectations were understandably tempered, despite some promising additions and Odom’s incredible track record. UVA was unranked in the preseason and picked to finish fifth in the ACC, narrowly topping SMU.
It was clear by early December that those projections were off the mark. The Cavaliers gradually climbed the national rankings, reaching as high as No. 9 in the AP poll. They went 15-3 in conference play and 17-5 in Quad 1 and 2 games. For a team with close to zero continuity, Virginia displayed unique chemistry, both on and off the court. It lost a heartbreaker in the championship game of the ACC Tournament, 74-70 to Duke, and got bounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Tennessee. Those defeats left a sour taste, further motivating players to come back and make amends.
“I think they certainly had unfinished business,” Odom says. “Those locker rooms when we lost to Duke and Tennessee were very sad locker rooms. Most people’s locker rooms are sad at that point, but not all. I think for us, that part was really rewarding. To see the emotion pour out from those guys because they did have a good experience, and it meant that they cared about what they were doing. And it wasn’t just that it was over; it was that they wanted it to continue on. I think that’s a driver for these guys now.”
Virginia has solid financial resources but not the same deep pockets of its major competitors in the ACC (Duke, Louisville, Miami and North Carolina). According to Odom, all of his players probably could have made more money somewhere else had that been their top priority. Instead, they put a premium on their experience at UVA, their development under Odom’s staff and the opportunity to win big this year.
By mid-April, the Cavaliers had re-signed three starters — 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Thijs De Ridder, 7-foot sophomore center Johann Grunloh and 6-foot-7 senior wing Sam Lewis — as well as sixth man Chance Mallory, a 5-foot-10 sophomore point guard.
A former pro in Belgium and Spain, De Ridder led the team in points (15.6 per game) and rebounds (6.2 per game) last season, earning First Team All-ACC honors. He was voted preseason ACC Player of the Year on Tuesday. Grunloh, another international prospect, is coming off a freshman campaign in which he ranked third in the ACC in blocks (2.2 per game). The sharpshooting Lewis averaged 10.6 points and knocked down 40.4 percent of his threes. And Mallory proved to be one of the best young floor generals in the country, pitching in 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals off the bench.
What was more surprising to Odom wasn’t the re-commitment of Virginia’s core, but that of players who barely — or never — saw the floor in 2025-26. Senior guard Elijah Gertrude, junior guard Martin Carrere and redshirt sophomore forward Silas Barksdale all chose to come back despite being out of the rotation. That was a clear sign of the program’s strong culture and the close-knit nature of the group. Had eligibility rules been less murky at the beginning of the offseason, Odom says the Cavaliers would have also brought back fifth-year players Dallin Hall (signed with Utah State, eligibility pending) and Ugonna Onyenso (drafted in the second round by the Houston Rockets).
Odom turned to the portal to fill the gaps on his roster, which was a significantly easier process than a year ago since he already had a foundation to build around. The program added four veterans from the mid-major ranks, all of whom logged at least 27 minutes per game last season: 6-foot-4 senior guard Jurian Dixon (UCI), 6-foot-6 senior guard Christian Harmon (Arkansas State), 6-foot-6 senior guard Jan Vide (LMU) and 6-foot-8 senior forward Kalu Anya (SLU). Dixon and Harmon, both of whom earned All-Conference honors and averaged more than 12 points per contest, are the likeliest candidates to assume the Cavaliers’ lone available starting spot. Odom could also give the nod to international signee Nolan Adekunle, a 6-foot-7 forward from Berlin and former pro in the top German league.
Training camp has been a lot smoother for the program because of its retention. Coaches can move through concepts quicker and also rely on the returnees to help lead the newcomers. “It’s really helpful, there’s no question about it,” Odom says. “Terminology, just general schedule and how we do things — they understand it. It’s not the first time they’re going through it. Every player was new last year. Now we’ve got more guys who have been through it than haven’t been through it.”
That said, the team is certainly making some tweaks after falling short of its ultimate goals last season. Much of the focus is on improving offensive execution, particularly in tight situations, and having “more intention on defense,” as Odom puts it. The Cavaliers have a much tougher schedule this year, including nonconference matchups with Arkansas (Nov. 8), Maryland (Nov. 13), Marquette (Nov. 25), Xavier (Nov. 27), Kentucky (Dec. 2) and UConn (Dec. 20). They will also play Duke — No. 1 in Hoops HQ’s Preseason Top 25 — twice during the regular season.
Of course, given its recent success and high retention rate, Virginia won’t be flying under the radar like it was last November. The program will have a target on its back from opening night, but Odom wouldn’t want it any other way.
“We still have to be the hunters, and that’s what we’re trying to impress upon these guys every single day,” he says. “We’re not sneaking up on anybody, and we know that. But that’s where you want to be as a program.”
Meet your guide
