Virginia (15-17, 8-12 ACC)

The Cavaliers got a jolt shortly before last season with the sudden retirement of longtime coach Tony Bennett. Assistant Ron Sanchez was the interim coach as the Cavs posted their first losing record since Bennett's debut season (2009-10).

The school hired Ryan Odom, who had grown up in Charlottesville while his father was an assistant coach in the 1980s. Odom — who coached UMBC to the first 16-vs-1 March Madness upset of Bennett's Cavaliers in 2018 — has seven transfers, three freshmen and two international players. Virginia is picked fifth in the 18-team ACC race.

Players to watch

Malik Thomas (graduate, G, 6-5, 215, 19.9 ppg). He ranked No. 22 nationally in scoring last year at San Francisco. He shot 39.7% from 3-point range in the past two seasons with th

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