Basketball season might be far away - save for the ongoing NBA Finals - but piece by piece, more developments are falling into place. Virginia has made its last few roster additions , new non-conference games are being revealed and the occasional offseason news morsel has helped maintain the excitement for the 2026-27 campaign.
In the midst of offseason change, there are some budding reasons for both optimism and concern regarding the Cavaliers.
Virginia returns every notable player from last season with eligibility. On-court chemistry should be exceptional in 2026-27. Hundreds of other teams lost at least one eligible starter and will have to tinker and toil over various lineups. The Cavaliers, at least, can trot out a package of Chance Mallory , Elijah Gertrude, Sam Lewis, Thijs De Ridder and Johann Grunloh and have an understanding of what that would look like.
2: The frontcourt could be one of the nation's best
Speaking of De Ridder and Grunloh, they could have both been potential NBA Draft picks this year - and if they put together stellar seasons this year, they could skyrocket up draft boards. These European stars are no ordinary sophomores. Behind them, there is senior transfer Kalu Anya and talented, promising underclassmen in Favour Ibe and Silas Barksdale. These big men should be capable of dominating both offensively and defensively in the paint for an ACC contender.
3: Don't forget - Ryan Odom is one of the ACC's best coaches
In his first year, Odom led a team almost entirely composed of transfers to the Round of 32. His emphasis on team-building and analytics could complete a winning formula. Also consider his talented staff led by Adrian Autry, Matt Henry, Bryce Crawford, Darius Theus and others. The 2026-27 Cavaliers should be a well-coached team. Factor in an abundance of experience, and the immediate future looks rather promising.
1: Schedule will be more difficult this season
Virginia plays Duke not once, but twice - in addition to facing UConn , North Carolina and Kentucky . It would not be impossible for all five of those games to be against top-12 opponents. At the minimum, those will be incredibly challenging bouts.
The Cavaliers also face Clemson, NC State, SMU, Pitt, Florida State and Virginia Tech - all feisty ACC foes with the ability to author an upset at a moment's notice. Anyone looking for "easy wins" would struggle to find many given that the recent regular ACC bottomfeeders have kickstarted rebuilds through new regimes. Boston College , Syracuse and Georgia Tech all hired new head coaches. Stanford might struggle, but the others inhabiting the ACC's lower echelon could drastically improve.
2: A veteran backcourt has become an underclassmen-led backcourt
Malik Thomas and Dallin Hall were graduate starters at guard last season. Their experience was paramount. Now, Virginia is projected to start sophomore Mallory and either a sophomore or junior transfer. The Cavaliers can feel confident in their frontcourt talent, but not their experience.
There is a possibility that Mallory struggles once opposing teams scout and prepare for him as a starter rather than a lesser priority as a bench player. Mallory, under 5-foot-11, has to work extra hard to handle the height, length and physicality of other ACC guards and wings.
3: The bench is full of fresh faces - and who is going to fill the Jacari White role?
Last season, White displayed the ability to completely take over a game through electric barrages of three-point shots. But now that he is gone, Virginia needs a new bench star with that kind of ability - but it is extremely rare to find one.
Jurian Dixon shot nearly 39 percent from deep, but if he ends up starting at shooting guard, he would not be quite the same sparkplug as White. Sans-White, perhaps Odom reshapes his offense a bit for a squad with fewer graduate students than last year. He liked to cycle in reserves frequently, but many of them were experienced graduate players. Even on a team with continuity, there are some unknowns.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginia as 2026-27 Virginia basketball: Three reasons for optimism, three reasons for concern .
