How to watch UVA basketball vs Campbell and the GAME THREAD

That’s how you see

You can watch Wednesday night’s season opener on ESPN+ or ACC Network Extra. This means you can watch the match on ESPN.com or the ESPN app with either an ESPN+ subscription or a TV provider subscription that includes the ACC Network.

Locion: Charlottesville, VA
Date: November 6, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN+/ACCNX
Bet line: UVA -16.5

Pre-game content

Preview of UVA basketball’s season opener vs. Campbell

Virginia basketball releases “potential starting lineup” for season opener vs Campbell

UVA basketball mailbag: Changes under Sanchez, reasons for optimism, impact of Warley’s departure and more

How Isaac McKneely can be the cornerstone of UVA basketball this season

UVA basketball explains updated offense concepts

Game thread

Tipoff is at 7:00 – Leave your pre-, in- and post-game thoughts here, and be sure to check back in for plenty of postgame content!

We’ll also be active on Twitter throughout the game and throughout the season, so stay tuned here for live reactions from our staff.

Mowing the lawn – @STL_UVA

Zach Carey – @Zach_Carey_

Dan Siegel – @DanSiegel_

Corbin Lathrop – @CorbinLathrop

John Kurcina – @JohnKurcina

Trey Kelleher – @TreyKelleher3

Gavin Booker – @GavinBookerPxP

Garrett Keogh – @Garrett_Keogh01

Playing notes

Finally, here are game notes from UVA:

For openers

• UVA begins its 120th season of men’s basketball with a record of 1,743-1,215 (.589).

• Virginia meets Campbell for the first time.

• UVA is 24-2 in its last 26 season openers.

• UVA is 13-2 in its last 15 season openers.

• The Cavaliers are 96-23 all-time in 119 season openers.

• UVA is 98-10 at JPJ in non-conference since 2009-10.

The interim head coach

• Ron Sanchez was named the Dean and Markel Families Men’s Interim Head Basketball Coach on Oct. 18 following the resignation of three-time National Coach of the Year Tony Bennett.

• Sanchez, who spent 10 seasons on Bennett’s staff at UVA in two separate stints (2009-19 & 2023-24), posted a 72-78 record as the head coach at Charlotte from 2018-23.

• He served nine seasons on Bennett’s staff from 2009-18, the last three as an associate head coach. During his time at Grounds, the Cavaliers won 212 games, three ACC regular season titles and two ACC tournament titles while making six NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance. The Cavaliers earned three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and won 29 or more games four times. UVA won 31 games and reached No. 1 in the AP rankings for the first time since 1982-83 during Sanchez’s final season at UVA in 2017-18.

• He returned to UVA as associate head coach in 2023-24 as the Cavaliers posted a 23-11 record and 13-7 in the ACC.

• Under Sanchez’s leadership in Charlotte, the 49ers won 16 or more games in three seasons, including a 22-14 record in 2022-23. His final season in Charlotte was highlighted by the 49ers’ first-ever postseason tournament title, winning four games in five days in Daytona Beach, Fla., at the 2023 Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational.

• Sanchez also served as an assistant coach on Tony Bennett’s staff for three seasons at Washington State from 2006-09, helping the Cougars to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT berth. Washington State reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and the Sweet 16 in 2008. The Cougars tied the school record with 26 wins in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

• Sanchez was 2-3 in the season opener as head coach in Charlotte.

Hoo are these cavaliers?

• The Cavaliers return two starters (Isaac McKneely and Andrew Rohde) from last season’s team that finished third in the ACC (13-7) and advanced to the NCAA First Four

• The Cavaliers return 36.2 percent of its scoring from last season, marking the second straight year UVA has returned 37 percent or less of its scoring. UVA returned 91.4 percent of its scoring in 2022-23

• McKneely (12.3 ppg, 44.5% 3FG) and Rohde (4.3 ppg, 2.7 apg) are joined by returnees Blake Buchanan (3.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and Taine Murray (3 .3 ppg, 45% 3FG)

• Virginia’s roster includes offseason transfers Dai Dai Ames (Kansas State), TJ Power (Duke) and Elijah Saunders (San Diego State), and newcomers Ishan Sharma (Ontario, Canada) and Jacob Cofie (Seattle, Washington).

• Redshirts Anthony Robinson and Christian Bliss will make their UVA debuts after redshirting last season

• Promising sophomore Elijah Gertrude will miss 2024-25 after suffering an offseason knee injury.

• Point guard Jalen Warley (State of Florida) transferred out of the program on October 29.