| 2024–25Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Record | 15–17 (8–12 ACC) |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Jason Williford (16th season) |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | John Paul Jones Arena |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3Duke † | 19 | – | 1 | .950 | 35 | – | 4 | .897 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21Louisville | 18 | – | 2 | .900 | 27 | – | 8 | .771 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22Clemson | 18 | – | 2 | .900 | 27 | – | 7 | .794 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | 21 | – | 11 | .656 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | 23 | – | 14 | .622 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | 24 | – | 11 | .686 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 11 | – | 9 | .550 | 21 | – | 14 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | 17 | – | 17 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 13 | – | 19 | .406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 15 | – | 18 | .455 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | 7 | – | 13 | .350 | 14 | – | 19 | .424 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 6 | – | 14 | .300 | 14 | – | 19 | .424 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 5 | – | 15 | .250 | 12 | – | 19 | .387 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | 4 | – | 16 | .200 | 12 | – | 19 | .387 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (FL) | 3 | – | 17 | .150 | 7 | – | 24 | .226 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †2025 ACC tournament winner Rankings fromAP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The2024–25 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team represented theUniversity of Virginia during the2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by interim head coachRon Sanchez after former head coachTony Bennett announced his retirement before the start of the season on October 17, 2024.[1] They played their home games atJohn Paul Jones Arena inCharlottesville, Virginia, as members of theAtlantic Coast Conference.
Despite the last-minute coaching change, the Cavailers started the season 3–0, including a ten-point victory overVillanova in the Hall of Fame Series. They then traveled to the Bahamas to participate in theBaha Mar Hoops Championship where their fortunes changed. They lost in the semifinals to eleventh-rankedTennessee 64–42 and in the third place game against twenty second-rankedSt. John's 80–55. They won two games against non-Power 4 opponents before losing theirACC–SEC Challenge game against thirteenth-rankedFlorida 87–69. They followed that with a loss in their ACC opener againstSMU. They finished their non-conference slate 2–1, with a loss against twenty first-rankedMemphis. They closed the 2024 portion of their schedule with an ACC win overNC State. The Cavailers had a rough start to the 2025 portion of the schedule, as they went on a five-game losing streak. The streak included two losses toLouisville, and losses in California toStanford andCalifornia, and a loss in a rematch with SMU. They broke the streak by going 2–2 in their next four games. This streak included a loss in theirrivalry game againstVirginia Tech. The team went 4–2 over their next six games, which included a three game winning streak. They defeatedPittsburgh,Georgia Tech,Wake Forest, and won the rivaly rematch with Virginia Tech. However, they lost to third-rankedDuke and atNorth Carolina. They lost to thirteenth-rankedClemson and defeatedFlorida State by three points in their next two games. The Cavaliers lost the regular season finale toSyracuse 84–70.
The Cavaliers finished theseason 15–16 and 8–12 inACC play to finish in a five-way tie for ninth place. The team finished atop the five-way tiebreaker and were the ninth seed in the2025 ACC tournament. They faced eighth-seed Georgia Tech in the First Round. Despite defeating the Yellow Jackets during the regular season, they were defeated 66–60 in the tournament. They were not invited to theNCAA tournament or theNIT. Interim coach Ron Sanchez was not retained at the end of the season.[2]
The 2023–24 Cavaliers finished the season 23–11 and 13–7 inACC play to finish in third place. As the third seed in theACC tournament, they earned a bye to the quarterfinals, where they defeated third seedBoston College in overtime before losing to eventual champion NC State in overtime in the semifinals. They earned a controversial at-large bid to theNCAA tournament and were placed as a tenth seed in theFirst Four in theMidwest region. They lost their matchup withColorado State 67–42 to end their season.
On October 18, 2024, longtime head coachTony Bennett announced his surprise retirement.[3] Bennett posted a 364–136 record at UVA, guiding the Cavaliers to the 2019 NCAA Championship, two ACC Tournament titles, six ACC regular-season championships and 10 NCAA tournament appearances. Bennett was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.
FormerCharlotte head coach and longtime assistantRon Sanchez was named the interim head coach following Bennett's announcement. Isaiah Wilkins was promoted to full-time assistant.[4]
| Name | Position | Years on staff | New position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Bennett | Head Coach | 15 | Retired |
| Larry Mangino | Director of Player Development | 8 | Assistant Coach atLiberty |
| Johnny Carpenter | Director of Player Player Personnel | 10 | Undisclosed job with theMemphis Grizzlies |
| Name | Previous position | New position |
|---|---|---|
| Brad Soderberg | Director of Scouting | Assistant Coach |
| Isaiah Wilkins | Graduate Assistant |
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dante Harris | 1 | G | 6'0" | 170 | Senior | Washington, D.C. | Transferred toMemphis[5][a] |
| Reece Beekman | 2 | G | 6'3" | 194 | Senior | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Graduated |
| Ryan Dunn | 13 | G | 6'8" | 216 | Sophomore | Freeport, New York | Drafted 28th overall in the2024 NBA draft[6] |
| Jordan Minor | 22 | F | 6'8" | 242 | Graduate Student | Kingston, Massachusetts | Graduated |
| Tristan How | 24 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Senior | Virginia Beach, Virginia | Graduated |
| Jake Groves | 34 | F | 6'9" | 211 | Graduate Student | Spokane, Washington | Graduated |
| Leon Bond III | 35 | G/F | 6'5" | 200 |  Freshman | Wauwatosa, Wisconsin | Transferred toNorthern Iowa[7] |
| Jalen Warley | – | G | 6'7" | 205 | Senior | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Transferred toGonzaga[8][b] |
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah Saunders | 2 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Junior | Phoenix, Arizona | San Diego State[9] |
| Dai Dai Ames | 7 | G | 6'1" | 185 | Sophomore | Chicago, Illinois | Kansas State[10] |
| TJ Power | 23 | F | 6'9" | 221 | Sophomore | Shrewsbury, Massachusetts | Duke[11] |
| Carter Lang | 35 | F | 6'9" | 235 | Sophomore | Charlottesville, Virginia | Vanderbilt[12] |
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Bliss #48 SG | Newtown, PA | George School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 30, 2023 | |
Recruit ratings:Rivals:  247Sports:  ESPN: (82) | ||||||
| Ishan Sharma SG | Milton, ON | Fort Erie International Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Oct 19, 2023 | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (77) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Rivals: 16 247Sports: 12 ESPN: – | ||||||
Sources:
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| 2024–25 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | Position | Year with position | Year on coaching staff | Alma mater | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Sanchez | Dean and Markel Families Interim Head Coach | 1 | 11 | SUNY-Oneonta | San Pedro de Macorís, DR |
| Jason Williford | Associate head coach | 7 | 16 | Virginia | Richmond, VA |
| Orlando Vandross | Assistant Coach | 7 | 10 | American International | |
| Isaiah Wilkins | Assistant Coach | 1 | 4 | Virginia | Lilburn, GA |
| Brad Soderberg | Assistant Coach | 1 | 10 | UW-Stevens Point | Wausau, WI |
| Chase Coleman | Graduate assistant | 2 | 2 | Virginia | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Kyle Guy | Athlete Development Mentor and Special Assistant | 1 | 1 | Virginia | Indianapolis, IN |
| Mike Curtis | Strength and conditioning coach | 16 | 16 | Virginia | Richmond, VA |
| Ethan Saliba | Head Athletic Trainer | 27 | 42 | Kansas | |
| Ronnie Wideman | Associate AD for Basketball Administration/Operations | 15 | 16 | Washington State | Washougal, WA |
| Date time, TV | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrimmage | |||||||||||
| October 19, 2024* | at VCU Scrimmage | L 49–71 | – | – | – | Siegel Center (0) Richmond, VA | |||||
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 6, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | Campbell | W 65–56 | 1–0 | 16 – Cofie | 7 – Buchanan | 5 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (13,414) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| November 11, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | Coppin State | W 62–45 | 2–0 | 15 – Saunders | 11 – Cofie | 3 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (13,294) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| November 15, 2024* 5:00 p.m., TNT/TruTV | vs. Villanova Hall of Fame Series | W 70–60 | 3–0 | 23 – McKneely | 6 – Tied | 4 – Rohde | CFG Bank Arena (4,868) Baltimore, MD | ||||
| November 21, 2024* 9:30 p.m., CBSSN | vs. No. 11 Tennessee Baha Mar Hoops Championship semifinals | L 42–64 | 3–1 | 12 – Ames | 7 – Buchanan | 3 – Tied | Baha Mar Convention Center (2,077) Nassau, Bahamas | ||||
| November 22, 2024* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | vs. No. 22 St. John's Baha Mar Hoops Championship 3rd place game | L 55–80 | 3–2 | 12 – Saunders | 7 – Cofie | 3 – Tied | Baha Mar Convention Center (2,119) Nassau, Bahamas | ||||
| November 26, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCN | Manhattan | W 74–65 | 4–2 | 18 – McKneely | 6 – Saunders | 5 – Ames | John Paul Jones Arena (12,347) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| November 29, 2024* 4:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | Holy Cross | W 67–41 | 5–2 | 16 – Ames | 6 – Tied | 4 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (13,488) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| December 4, 2024* 7:15 p.m., ESPN2 | at No. 13 Florida ACC–SEC Challenge | L 69–87 | 5–3 | 19 – Saunders | 7 – McKneely | 5 – McKneely | O'Connell Center (9,184) Gainesville, FL | ||||
| December 7, 2024 2:15 p.m., The CW | at SMU | L 51–63 | 5–4 (0–1) | 17 – McKneely | 4 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Moody Coliseum (5,189) University Park, TX | ||||
| December 12, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCN | Bethune–Cookman | W 59–41 | 6–4 | 15 – Saunders | 10 – Cofie | 4 – McKneely | John Paul Jones Arena (12,021) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| December 18, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 21 Memphis | L 62–64 | 6–5 | 15 – Saunders | 6 – Robinson | 5 – McKneely | John Paul Jones Arena (12,108) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| December 22, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ACCN | American | W 63–58 | 7–5 | 21 – Saunders | 8 – Saunders | 4 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (12,384) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| December 31, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | NC State | W 70–67 | 8–5 (1–1) | 22 – Saunders | 5 – Saunders | 7 – Rohde | John Paul Jones Arena (13,875) Charlottesville, Va | ||||
| January 4, 2025 4:00 p.m., ACCN | Louisville | L 50–70 | 8–6 (1–2) | 16 – Rohde | 5 – Murray | 4 – McKneely | John Paul Jones Arena (13,316) Charlottesville, Va | ||||
| January 8, 2025 11:00 p.m., ESPN2 | at California | L 61–75 | 8–7 (1–3) | 14 – Rohde | 10 – Saunders | 6 – Rohde | Haas Pavilion (3,696) Berkeley, CA | ||||
| January 11, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPNU | at Stanford | L 65–88 | 8–8 (1–4) | 22 – McKneely | 5 – Tied | 5 – Rohde | Maples Pavilion (4,504) Stanford, CA | ||||
| January 15, 2025 9:00 p.m., ACCN | SMU | L 52–54 | 8–9 (1–5) | 11 – Buchanan | 15 – Buchanan | 4 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (13,554) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| January 18, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | at Louisville | L 67–81 | 8–10 (1–6) | 19 – Saunders | 10 – Saunders | 4 – Tied | KFC Yum! Center (18,233) Louisville, KY | ||||
| January 21, 2025 7:00 p.m., ACCN | Boston College | W 74–56 | 9–10 (2–6) | 21 – McKneely | 6 – Tied | 6 – Rohde | John Paul Jones Arena (13,481) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| January 25, 2025 6:30 p.m., ESPN2 | Notre Dame | L 59–74 | 9–11 (2–7) | 17 – Cofie | 6 – Tied | 4 – Ames | John Paul Jones Arena (14,637) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| January 29, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | at Miami | W 82–71 | 10–11 (3–7) | 26 – McKneely | 9 – Buchanan | 7 – Murray | Watsco Center (5,509) Coral Gables, FL | ||||
| February 1, 2025 4:00 p.m., ACCN | Virginia Tech Rivalry | L 74–75 | 10–12 (3–8) | 19 – McKneely | 6 – Tied | 7 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (14,637) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| February 3, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN | at Pittsburgh | W 73–57 | 11–12 (4–8) | 27 – Ames | 11 – Buchanan | 9 – Rohde | Petersen Events Center (9,075) Pittsburgh, PA | ||||
| February 8, 2025 5:30 p.m., The CW | Georgia Tech | W 75–61 | 12–12 (5–8) | 20 – McKneely | 11 – Buchanan | 9 – Rohde | John Paul Jones Arena (14,637) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| February 15, 2025 2:00 p.m., The CW | at Virginia Tech Rivalry | W 73–70 | 13–12 (6–8) | 22 – McKneely | 7 – Tied | 9 – Rohde | Cassell Coliseum (8,925) Blacksburg, VA | ||||
| February 17, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 3 Duke | L 62–80 | 13–13 (6–9) | 15 – Tied | 5 – Rhode | 5 – Rhode | John Paul Jones Arena (14,445) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| February 22, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | at North Carolina | L 66–81 | 13–14 (6–10) | 17 – McKneely | 6 – Buchanan | 4 – Tied | Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC | ||||
| February 26, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | at Wake Forest | W 83–75 | 14–14 (7–10) | 27 – McKneely | 6 – Saunders | 5 – McKneely | LJVM Coliseum (7,851) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| March 1, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 13 Clemson | L 58–71 | 14–15 (7–11) | 16 – McKneely | 6 – Saunders | 5 – Rohde | John Paul Jones Arena (13,992) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| March 4, 2025 9:00 p.m., ACCN | Florida State | W 60–57 | 15–15 (8–11) | 18 – Ames | 8 – Buchanan | 4 – Buchanan | John Paul Jones Arena (13,503) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| March 8, 2025 8:00 p.m., ACCN | at Syracuse | L 70–84 | 15–16 (8–12) | 13 – Cofie | 6 – Robinson | 4 – Rohde | JMA Wireless Dome (20,274) Syracuse, NY | ||||
| ACC tournament | |||||||||||
| March 12, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN | (9) | vs. (8) Georgia Tech Second round | L 60–66 | 15–17 | 27 – McKneely | 5 – Tied | 3 – Rohde | Spectrum Center (9,722) Charlotte, NC | |||
*Non-conference game.#Rankings fromAP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are inEastern Time. | |||||||||||
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| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
