Virginia Basketball Should Schedule Vanderbilt, Georgetown

Virginia men's basketball coach Ryan Odom has assembled a tough non-conference slate for the upcoming season. The Cavaliers will face Arkansas, Maryland, Kentucky, UConn, Marquette, and Xavier before Atlantic Coast Conference play begins.

This challenging schedule is designed to prepare the team for the NCAA tournament. Virginia has not advanced past the second round since winning the national championship in 2019. With the tournament expanding to 76 teams, strong programs can afford a few non-league losses. The ACC's recent reduction of its conference schedule from 20 to 18 games also provides two more opportunities for teams to seek high-level competition.

In that spirit, a Sports Illustrated article proposes three specific schools for Virginia to target for future non-conference games.

Vanderbilt Commodores

Virginia and Vanderbilt will hold a closed scrimmage on September 27 in Charleston, South Carolina. The article argues this matchup should become an official game.

The programs are described as like-minded, with strong academic reputations and significant recent investments in athletics. The travel distance is relatively manageable at 550 miles, which is shorter than trips to other potential opponents like Stanford, California, SMU, or Miami.

Both teams are coming off successful seasons and appear in ESPN.com's Way-Too-Early preseason rankings.

Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington has past connections to Virginia, having served as a graduate assistant under Pete Gillen and later as director of operations under Dave Leitao. The two schools have met only seven times in history, with just one meeting since 1995.

Georgetown Hoyas

Georgetown, under new coach Ed Cooley, is adopting a more aggressive non-conference approach. The Hoyas' schedule this fall includes games against North Carolina, Texas, Maryland, Clemson, and either UCLA or St. Mary's.

Washington, D.C. Is an even shorter trip from Charlottesville than Nashville. Georgetown also shares Virginia's academic prestige. A personal connection exists through Georgetown assistant coach Jason Williford, who played forward for Virginia in the 1990s and was an aide to Tony Bennett.

The Cavaliers and Hoyas have not played each other since 2002.

Michigan State Spartans

A series with Michigan State would satisfy several desires for Virginia, according to the source. It would pit the Cavaliers against a perennial powerhouse, generate strong television ratings, and offer a chance for long-sought revenge.

Virginia holds an 0-5 all-time record against the Spartans. That includes NCAA tournament losses in 2014 and 2015 that eliminated two of Tony Bennett's best teams. Another scheduled meeting in the 2001-02 ACC/Big Ten Challenge was canceled due to a slippery floor at the Richmond Coliseum.

The article notes that Virginia fans would relish an opportunity to beat Michigan State coach Tom Izzo at least once before he retires.