Virginia will attempt to snap a three-game losing streak when it hosts Atlantic Coast Conference newcomer SMU on Wednesday night in Charlottesville, Va.
The Cavaliers (8-8, 1-4 ACC) are winless in the new year and coming off an ugly 0-2 West Coast trip with losses to the league’s other new members, Cal and Stanford, by a combined 37 points.
The Mustangs (12-4, 3-2) won the first meeting with Virginia 63-51 in Dallas on Dec. 7 in their ACC debut. SMU held the Cavaliers without a field goal for the final 10 minutes of what had been a close game.
Under interim coach Ron Sanchez, Virginia is off to its worst start in conference play since coach Dave Leitao’s final season in 2008-09.
Saturday’s 88-65 loss at Stanford was Virginia’s fourth 20-plus-point defeat of the season. The Cardinal shot 50.8 percent from the field, outscored the Cavaliers 40-12 in the paint and scored 22 points off 12 Virginia turnovers.
“I think for us, it just comes down to having a little more defensive pride and a little more pride with toughness on the glass,” said Sanchez, whose squad was outrebounded by 11 against Stanford and by 11 in last month’s meeting with SMU.
After consecutive double-digit losses to ACC blue bloods Duke and North Carolina to open the 2025 calendar, the Mustangs bounced back with a 93-71 win Saturday at home against Georgia Tech.
Chuck Harris scored 21 points and B.J. Edwards added 19 against the Yellow Jackets. SMU cruised to a 50-19 lead at halftime and finished the game shooting 50 percent overall and 50 percent (14 of 28) from downtown.
SMU coach Andy Enfield made a successful lineup change against Georgia Tech, starting Harris in place of 6-foot-11 Yohan Traore.
“Defensively, we felt like the small lineup would help us and then give us, probably, our best offensive lineup to start the game,” Enfield said. “And it worked.”
Kario Oquendo scored a game-high 21 points off the SMU bench in the first game against Virginia. Samet Yigitoglu added 16 for the Mustangs and Isaac McKneely was the only Cavalier in double figures with 17.
–Field Level Media
