The No. 18 Virginia Cavaliers (18-3, 7-2 ACC) have entered the sprint phase of the 2025-2026 season. With 10 games and nine ACC games remaining on the schedule, the Hoos hope to get back on track Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Panthers (9-13, 2-7 ACC).
The Hoos made it back-to-back on a road trip to South Bend, where they had a successful but slightly worrisome road trip, where they defeated Notre Dame in double overtime and avoided defeat again at Chestnut Hill, defeating Boston College by a score of 73-66. Those struggles were rooted in a slow start and an inability to maintain momentum in the second half due to ill-advised foul calls by the Cavaliers and, in some cases, ghost whistles from the Stripes.
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Virginia was already the favorite heading into this game, but winning isn’t the only thing Ryan Odom and Virginia fans are looking for from this team. Pitt, on the other hand, will be trying to win in any way they can in the final month of the season, as they are currently tied for 15th in the ACC with the top 15 teams being invited to the conference tournament at the end of the regular season.
Two games worth watching
1. Pitt’s defensive rebounds vs. Virginia’s offensive rebounds
Jeff Capel’s team has been solid defensively so far this season and it’s been a team effort. The Panthers have four players averaging more than five rebounds per game, with Cameron Corhen leading the way with nearly eight rebounds per game. As a team, Pitt ranks in the top 10 nationally in offensive rebounds while their opponents average just 7.1 offensive rebounds per game.
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Virginia has relied on its ability to bounce back from misses in its past two games, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds against Notre Dame and Boston College. If Pitt can limit the Cavaliers’ success in this area, Virginia will need a better shooting night to easily win this game.
2. Pitt’s defensive backfield versus Virginia’s four-headed monster
The guards were happy to see the Panthers arrive recently. Opposing defenders have led the scoring in four of the Panthers’ past five games. Louisville’s Ryan Cornwell scored 24 points, North Carolina State’s Quadir Copeland scored 20 points, Boston College’s Fred Payne scored 18 points and Wake Forest’s Myles Colvin scored 18 points.
The trend has been good for Virginia’s Malik Thomas, Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory and Jacari White, who can score more than 20 points on any given night. All four will get their fair share of shots on Tuesday night, and Virginia as a whole will be looking to get back on track from beyond the arc in the comfort of their own home, as they’ve shot 16-for-52 (30.7 percent) from 3-point range over the past two games.
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a prediction
A well-coached team with this type of talent can only be in a “slump” for so long. I expect Virginia to play a clean game here and get their eighth conference win of the year.
Virginia 83, Pitt 67
