NC State Basketball Rival Preview: Virginia

Odom's reshaping of Virginia basketball was enough to earn the Cavaliers a fifth place finish on the preseason ACC poll, one spot behind NC State. A major reason for the confidence in the program was his transfer class, which included a pair of stellar offensive players.

San Francisco transfer Malik Thomas arrived in Charlottesville and immediately raised the ceiling of Odom's offense in year one. The veteran guard scored in bunches during his two seasons with the Dons. He averaged 19.9 points per game in the 2024-25 campaign, good enough for first team All-WCC honors. Thomas has the potential to be a major surprise in the ACC given his scoring prowess, but he didn't come alone.

Odom also added guard Dallin Hall from BYU to be his steady hand at the point guard position. After being with the Cougars for three years, the guard opted for a change of scenery and landed with the Cavaliers.

In the 2024-25 season, Hall averaged a career-low 6.8 points per game, but played the distributing role very well for one of the most potent offenses in the country. He averaged 4.2 assists and 1.2 turnovers per game.

The VCU Connection

While Wade is just happy to be back coaching in a power conference once again, Odom's history with Virginia runs deep. His father was an assistant coach for the Cavaliers when he was young and Odom spent time with the team as he grew up. However, Wade and Odom are connected in a different way.

Both coaches spent time with VCU, with Wade serving as an assistant coach and head coach, while Odom helped the Rams to an NCAA Tournament appearance in his two seasons as the head man.

"I think there certainly is some secret sauce and I think it's just the care they have for the program," Odom said. "The investment obviously is important, but the community there really supports VCU and I think it's really helpful in continuing that tradition."

The Matchup

From a size standpoint, Virginia has some options that could give the Wolfpack some trouble, but not many. 7-foot big man Ugonna Onyenso saw limited playing time at Kansas State a season ago, but would pose problems for the Wolfpack's undersized frontcourt options.

However, NC State's best five against Virginia's probably favors the Wolfpack, as the preseason player of the year, Darrion Williams, could be a matchup nightmare for Odom's squad given his versatility.

The Cavaliers and the Wolfpack are set to meet twice in the 2025-26 season, first on Jan. 3 in Raleigh and then Feb. 24 in Charlottesville.

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