With under two months remaining until Virginia men’s basketball tips off at JPJ, we officially have a non-conference schedule.
Ryan Odom utilized the common tactic of exclusively scheduling either high stakes matchups or lopsided buy games, avoiding the frisky mid-majors. According to Torvik’s preseason projections, five opponents rank in the top 50, headlined by No. 12 UConn, and all non-power conference foes rank outside the top 150.
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All in all, the Cavaliers will participate in eight home contests, one true road game, and neutral site trips to Washington D.C, Madison Square Garden (New York), and the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. As a bonus, public preseason exhibitions are slated for Sunday, September 27 (an outdoor game against Vanderbilt in Charleston, SC), Friday, October 9 (vs Richmond at JPJ), and Thursday, October 22 (at Villanova).
With so much returning talent, and a healthy share of meaningful non-conference games, we will have a strong sense of where Virginia stands by the new year.
Tuesday, Nov. 3: Drexel (home)
An offensively challenged team that finished fifth in the CAA, the Dragons lost their top four scorers heading into 2026-27.
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Friday, Nov. 6: Northeastern (home)
Long-time head coach Bill Coen is coming off of his worst season, winning just seven total games in 2025-26. They rank 260th in Torvik’s projections.
Sunday, Nov. 8: Arkansas (Washington D.C.)
John Calipari has reverted the Razorbacks program to top 25 status and has brought them to the Sweet Sixteen in each of his first two seasons. This year’s freshman class at Arkansas ranks first in the country, and includes four top 20 recruits, most notably guard Jordan Smith Jr.
Tuesday, Nov. 10: Bucknell (home)
Amassing talent has been a struggle for the Bison program, who took a significant step down with a 10-23 record in 2025-26. Headed into John Griffin’s fourth season as the head coach, his Bucknell squad projects 350th nationally in Torvik.
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Friday, Nov. 13: Maryland (away)
For as successful as Ryan Odom was, most first-year head coaches experience growing pains in their first season at a new school, and Buzz Williams is a prime example. With that said, the Terrapins are expected to be much more competitive headed into year two, propelled by a strong transfer class. Maryland will feature a brand new backcourt with D.J. Wagner coming in from Arkansas alongside Tennessee transfer Bishop Boswell, who scored 13 in that Round of 32 game against the ‘Hoos.
Tuesday, Nov. 17: Old Dominion (home)
We last saw ODU back in 2012, where the 1-10 Monarchs stunned the Cavaliers with a 62-60 victory in Richmond. 15 years later, Old Dominion has not been able to establish a consistent winning pedigree, and are once again likely to be picked in the bottom half of the Sun Belt hierarchy.
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Friday, Nov. 20: Loyola Maryland (home)
Like Bucknell, the Greyhounds typically sit towards the bottom of the Patriot League, and the NIL era has not been kind to them. Pretty much their only glimmer of hope from last season, 6-foot-9 freshman Emmett Adair, has transferred up to George Mason.
Wednesday, Nov. 25: Marquette (Battle 4 Atlantis)
Put Marquette alongside Maryland in the “I’d be shocked if they are nearly as bad as they were last year” category. Shaka Smart’s program relies on continuity and he brought back much of what was worthwhile from that 2025-26 squad. Rising sophomore point guard Nigel James is a Big East Player of the Year candidate. You may also be familiar with Louisville transfer, Sananda Fru, who finished sixth in the ACC in blocks as a freshman.
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Friday, Nov. 27: Xavier (Battle 4 Atlantis)
The Musketeers project as UVA’s lone power conference opponent outside the national top 50. Head coach Richard Pitino did bring in almost an entirely new roster, including guard Tru Washington, who has been a significant part of good teams at Miami and New Mexico. However, they may not have the offensive firepower to keep up with a team like the Wahoos.
Wednesday, Dec. 2: Kentucky (home)
Kentucky will be the most high profile non-conference opponent to travel to JPJ in a while, especially from a name brand perspective. While the Wildcats program has taken a step down under Mark Pope, Milan Momcilovic may shape up to be a transformational portal addition. The Iowa State transfer led the country last season with a 48.8% three-point efficiency on 7.5 attempts per game.
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Tuesday, Dec. 8: Bethune-Cookman (home)
Bethune-Cookman is shaping up to be one of the most hyped SWAC rosters in recent years. Simply put, head coach Reggie Theus went out and got several dudes that have had offensive success at other D1 schools, particularly in the backcourt. Last time these two faced, Virginia won 59-41 in 2024-25; expect more fireworks from both sides in this one.
Sunday, Dec. 13: Western Carolina (home)
If Bethune-Cookman isn’t UVA’s best “buy” opponent, it is almost certainly Western Carolina. The Catamounts won their final six regular season games last season, and look to build on that momentum heading into 2026-27, with one of those explosive offensives from the SoCon. Western Carolina is still an opponent that the ‘Hoos should handle, but they are capable of providing some degree of resistance just before Odom and company divert their focus to a massive game.
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Sunday, Dec. 20: UConn (New York, NY)
An introduction is hardly needed here. Head coach Dan Hurley is a multi-time national champion and has a perennial top 5 UConn program. This year’s unit returns two starters in guards Silas Demery Jr. and Braylon Mullins. Duke transfer Nikolas Khamenia, who played a season-high 32 minutes in the ACC title game against Virginia, will anchor the front court. While this will be UVA’s first taste of the Huskies program since 1997-98, they did face Hurley’s Rhode Island squad in the Big Apple, defeating them 70-55 in 2017-18. This contest should be much more lopsided in terms of crowd support, as UConn fans have plenty of experience packing MSG.
