The Virginia men’s basketball team defeated the Southern Methodist University Mustangs 72-68 on Saturday in Dallas, handing SMU their first home loss of the season. Following the win, the ‘Hoos have jumped up to the No. 14 spot in the AP Poll.
Now, the team is in the middle of a week-long break before facing North Carolina on Saturday in JPJ.
As we await tip-off, catch up on some of the top Virginia sports stories of the week.
Top news
UVA football finishes ranked for the first time in 20 years – Wahoos247
For the first time in 20 years, the Virginia football team closed out the season in the AP Poll top-25, ranked No. 16.
UVA Basketball To Honor Tony Bennett By Naming JPJ Court After Him – Streaking The Lawn
On January 16, the University announced last week that they will officially name the court in John Paul Jones Arena after former head basketball coach Tony Bennett.
A ceremony honoring Bennett and the dedication will take place on on Saturday, January 24 prior to the home game against North Carolina.
Virginia Outfielder Named D1 Baseball Preseason All-American – Virginia Cavaliers on SI
When Virginia hired head baseball coach Chris Pollard from Duke, he brought some of his talented players with him.
Before even taking the field in Charlottesville, Virginia’s transfer AJ Gracia has been named a Division I Preseason All-American. In his 2025 season at Duke, Gracia batted .293 (63-for-215) with ten doubles, one triple, 15 home runs and 54 RBIs. And, last summer, he was selected for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, where he competed in the 45th USA vs. Japan All-Star Series.
UVA Elevates Joey Orck To Replace Terry Heffernan Offensive Line Coach – Streaking The Lawn
Virginia football’s senior offensive analyst, Joey Orck, has been promoted to offensive line coach for the 2026 season. Orck has been at Virginia since January 2022 and for the duration of head coach Tony Elliott’s tenure. He succeeds Terry Heffernan who is assuming the role of Stanford football’s head coach.
Rafael Jódar Advances to Australian Open Second Round – Virginia Sports
Former Virginia tennis player Rafael Jódar has advanced to the men’s singles draw at the Australian Open. Jódar won his Grand Slam debut on Tuesday, beating Japan’s Rei Sakamoto in an almost-four-hour match. Ultimately, Jódar walked away with the vicotry, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3.
In 2025, Jódar earned honors such as ACC Freshman of the Year, All-ACC First Team, and ITA Singles All-American.
Social Media Dive
Social media personality and sports commentator Ryan Hammer recently analyzed the Virginia men’s basketball team, calling them the “biggest sleeping dark horse in the entire country in college basketball right now.” Watch his analysis below.
