No. 13 Virginia Hosts Rival Virginia Tech in Season Finale

Cavaliers look to finish strong despite potential distractions of spring break

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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No. 13 Virginia will host rival Virginia Tech in their regular season finale, with the Cavaliers already having clinched the No. 2 seed and a double-bye in the upcoming ACC tournament. However, the Cavaliers face potential pitfalls, including the risk of complacency and limited emotional support from the crowd with Virginia students on spring break. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, is looking to sweep its fiercest rivals for the first time since 2010-11 and boost its NCAA Tournament hopes.

Why it matters

This matchup between in-state rivals holds significant implications, as Virginia looks to finish the regular season strong despite potential distractions, while Virginia Tech aims to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume with a marquee road win.

The details

No. 13 Virginia (26-4, 14-3 ACC) has won 10 of its last 11 games and is 15-1 at home this season. The Cavaliers are led by center Johann Grunloh and have made 10 or more 3-pointers in 19 games this season. Virginia Tech (19-11, 8-9 ACC) is 3-6 in road games and 2-3 against Top 25 opponents, but did beat then-No. 21 Virginia 95-85 in triple overtime on New Year's Eve. Hokies guard Ben Hammond scored a career-high 30 points in that win.

  • The game will be played on Saturday, March 6, 2026.
  • Virginia students will be on spring break for this matchup.

The players

Ryan Odom

Head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers.

Mike Young

Head coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Johann Grunloh

Center for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Ben Hammond

Guard for the Virginia Tech Hokies who scored a career-high 30 points in the first meeting between the teams.

Tobi Lawal

Forward for the Virginia Tech Hokies who scored 16 of his team-high 20 points in the second half of a recent game against Boston College.

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What they’re saying

“We're certainly going to have to be ready to go. I hate that it falls on spring break. ... (It) doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but it is what it is. Nobody's fault, just the way it fell, and we're going to make the most of it. So, we need as many Virginia fans in here as we can get.”

— Ryan Odom, Head coach, Virginia Cavaliers (statenews.net)

“We look forward to getting down there. Love that arena. Good friends down there, should be a whale of a college basketball game. We look forward to being a part of it.”

— Mike Young, Head coach, Virginia Tech Hokies (statenews.net)

“(Coach Odom) had a great speech after the game (at Duke) and the next day at practice he told us to look forward. We still had unfinished business in conference, and we put a focus on that. It was not easy, but we found a good way to leave it behind.”

— Johann Grunloh, Center, Virginia Cavaliers (statenews.net)

What’s next

The winner of this game will have momentum heading into the ACC tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina next week.

The takeaway

This matchup between in-state rivals Virginia and Virginia Tech features high stakes, as the Cavaliers look to finish the regular season strong despite potential distractions, while the Hokies aim to bolster their NCAA Tournament hopes with a marquee road win.