Tuesday night, Virginia men's basketball is officially back.
The Cavaliers begin their regular season with a game against Drexel, a soft opening to an otherwise arudous gauntlet of non-conference opponents. Here is the viewing and listening information, plus an insight into the game:
TV: ACC Network, Tipoff at 7:30 p.m. EST
Play-By-Play: Mike Monaco
Analyst: LaPhonso Ellis
RADIO: Virginia Sports Radio Network
Play-By-Play: John Freeman
Analyst: Jimmy Miller
Affiliates: VirginiaSports.com/Radio
Satellite: SiriusXM 179 or 234 - SXM App: 958
App: Virginia Sports mobile app
LIVE STATS: UVA.StatBroadcast.com
All major oddsmakers gave the Cavaliers at least a 93% chance of winning Tuesday night. That should come as no surprise. Virginia is ranked No. 9 in the nation, and should crush mid-major competition.
The Dragons are not exactly high-end competition.
In their exhibition slate, they lost by 29 points to No. 13 St. John's, and also lost to lowly Penn State. To find Drexel's last win against a Power Four opponent, you would have to go back to Dec. 2, 2023, when it conquered Villanova.
A 20-point win appears inevitable, even if Coach Ryan Odom elects to empty the bench - which he might do.
Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom looks on during the second half against the Wright State Raiders during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Now that the five-in-five eligibility rule has been implemented, players will have five years to play five seasons. There are no more exceptions for injuries, and redshirting is rendered completely useless. That is especially relevant for basketball.
Previously, if a player was buried on the depth chart, they could redshirt and preserve a year of eligibility - so long as they did not appear in a game. This contrasted football, which allowed a redshirting player to see action in a few games.
Five-in-five changes things. If the Cavaliers take a massive lead against the Dragons, then Odom can give some significant playing time to Silas Barksdale, Martin Carrere and the other players who missed out on a rotation spot within a very crowded roster. Perhaps there could be some semi-consistent playing time up for grabs on cleanup duty late in games.
This Drexel game could be part of that audition.
Should any Cavalier suffer an injury, the back of the bench will be relied upon to step into a few meaningful minutes. Barksdale and Carrere do have talent, but a few question marks - unlike the veterans with clear roles, like Jan Vide and Jurian Dixon. But this early in the season, anything can change.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginia as How to Watch UVA Basketball vs Drexel: Announcers, TV, Radio and More .
