Virginia faces Dayton to open huge day for Cavaliers' fans

In an appetizer for Virginia fans, the Cavaliers will look to follow up their biggest win of the season on Saturday afternoon when they meet Dayton on a neutral floor in Charlotte.

Eight hours after tip-off at Spectrum Center, the 17th-ranked Virginia football team will play Duke across town in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game at Bank of America Stadium.

The Cavaliers (7-1) are coming off a convincing 88-69 road win Wednesday against Texas in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Virginia made 12 of 24 shots from 3-point range and led for the final 35-plus minutes.

Chance Mallory scored a game-high 16 points in just 20 minutes off the bench, sinking both of his shots from beyond the arc and adding three assists, three rebounds and one block.

"He's just a great player," first-year Virginia coach Ryan Odom said. "His ability to impact the team in a positive way every time he comes in is just something to behold, and he's just tough. He has no fear."

The Cavaliers have scored more than 80 points in all seven wins this season after reaching the 80-point mark twice in 32 games in 2024-25.

Thijs De Ridder leads Virginia with 17.6 points per game, followed by Malik Thomas (13.1) and Mallory (11.9). Johann Grunloh adds 9.5 points per game, leads the team in rebounds (7.4) and leads the ACC in blocks (3.0).

Dayton (7-2) topped the 80-point mark for the fourth time this season in Tuesday's 88-71 home victory against East Tennessee State.

De'Shayne Montgomery matched a career high with 27 points against the Buccaneers, who turned the ball over 22 times. It was the third time this season a Dayton opponent has had 20-plus giveaways.

The Flyers have wins this season against Marquette and Georgetown and their only losses are to Cincinnati and then-No. 9 BYU. Javon Bennett leads the team with 16.0 points per game.

Dayton coach Anthony Grant expects to see a large Virginia presence in the stands on Saturday.

"We know we have a great opportunity and a great challenge in front us, going on the road," he said. "Their football team just made it to the conference championship game, so I think they'll have a pretty good crowd, even though it's at a neutral site."

--Field Level Media