No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers: Projected Rotation & Season Outlook
Virginia was one of the surprise teams last season, as new coach Ryan Odom was able to turn around a program that went 15-17 the year prior and win 30 games while locking up a top-3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia ultimately fell to a very talented Tennessee team in the Round of 32, but the groundwork has been laid, and Virginia is back on the up-and-up looking ahead to next season.
The good news is that the Cavaliers will be bringing a lot of impact players back. They will return four of the top six scorers, including leading scorer Thijs De Ridder who had a spectacular freshman campaign (15.6 ppg and 6.2 rpg). UVA also brings back point guard Chance Mallory for his sophomore season, wing Sam Lewis who shot over 40 percent from three-point range and big-man Johann Grunloh who was one of the top shot blockers in the ACC.
Virginia is brining in three transfers who should all compete for the final starting spot at shooting guard. Jurian Dixon and Christian Harmon both were productive three-point shooters last season, while Jan Vide gives the Cavs another reliable ball-handler with great size.
You could maybe debate how high the ceiling is for this team, but the floor is certainly extremely high. Not many other high major programs are brining back this much talent from last season. Coach Odom has now brought four different programs to the NCAA Tournament and is one of the more underrated coaches in the country. He has done more with less his whole career, and now with a top basketball program like Virginia, he has more.
Following another active transfer portal period, RotoWire's college basketball depth charts are updated with the latest in roster movement.
2026-27 Virginia Basketball Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: Chance Mallory (9.3 PPG, 3.4 APG)
SG: Jurian Dixon (15.9 PPG, 2.0 3PM at UC-Irvine)
SF: Sam Lewis (10.6 PPG)
PF: Thijs De Ridder (15.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG)
C: Johann Grunloh (7.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.2 BPG)
Key Reserves: Christian Harmon (12.8 PPG, 2.6 3PM at Arkansas State), Jan Vide (12.1 PPG, 4.0 APG at Loyola Marymount), Kalu Anya (Redshirt), Favour Ibe (3-Star Freshman), Carter Lang (0.4 PPG), Silas Barksdale (Redshirt)
In search of a new, legal sportsbook? Get in on the action with our best sportsbook promo codes, as well as these selections for the best sports betting sites and sports betting apps.
