CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ryan Odom has been on opposite sides of two of the most disappointing games in Virginia basketball history.

As coach at UMBC, he led the Retrievers to the first 16-over-1 upset in the NCAA tournament over the Cavaliers in 2018, a year before Tony Bennett's team won the national championship. Eight years later, he was on Virginia's bench for a second-round loss to Tennessee that put a bitter end to an otherwise memorable 30-6 debut season.

"I've never been in a sadder locker room than the Tennessee one," Odom said Wednesday at the annual ACC Tipoff preseason media event.

Just as the UMBC shocker inspired the 2018-19 Cavaliers to a memorable run, the 79-72 loss to the Volunteers may produce a silver lining. In a era of free movement, it convinced several of Virginia's best players to return and aspire to bigger things this winter.

"We felt like we didn't accomplish everything we wanted to," said guard Sam Lewis, one of three returning starters.

Lewis, all-ACC forward Thijs De Ridder and center Johann Grunloh are all back, along with sophomore point guard Chance Mallory, who will start after coming off the bench as a freshman.

They form the nucleus of a potential preseason top-10 team that will begin the year considerably ahead of last year's schedule, when both Odom and nearly his entire roster were new to the program.
Lewis said that this year's team is already light-years ahead of last year's edition in terms of defense and understanding assignments and where their teammates will be on the floor.

"There's a benefit to having retention from a practice perspective, just an overall standards perspective," Odom said. "These guys understand, you know, what it means to be a Virginia
basketball player, what it means to put that jersey on, the history of the program.

"There's a lot of stuff that we did a year ago, you know, in terms of putting it together. An entirely new collection of players that had never played together, and now we have guys that are back that have been through some pressure situations. They've been through some tough games, some disappointing endings. So they have a working knowledge and can help the new guys."

Lewis said that he and his teammates never huddled to discuss their future plans, with each making an individual decision.

European imports De Ridder and Grunloh could have tested the professional waters, although neither was a surefire NBA draft pick. Lewis, who transferred to Virginia from Toledo before last season, could have entered the portal again -- with a potential pay raise -- after averaging in double figures for the Cavaliers.

"There were guys that if they had put themselves on the open market, I'm sure they could have found someone to give them more [money]," Odom said. "That's the state of the game."

Mallory, a Charlottesville native, was less of a concern. He had committed to the Cavaliers when Bennett was coaching, reopened his recruitment afterwards and recommitted after Odom took over. He wasn't going anywhere.

"What Odom said aligned with what I wanted to do," Mallory said. "There was no reason to leave."

If Odom had a hunch that his stars might return, he was pleasantly surprised that they weren't the only ones. Little-used backups like Elijah Gertrude (the last link to the Bennett era) and Martin Carrere (who followed Odom from VCU) also elected to stay. So did forward Silas Barksdale, who redshirted last season.

For many athletes, a lack of playing time means dissatisfaction — and a short stay. Gertrude, Carrere and Barksdale's loyalty was an exception — and could result in an opportunity for increased playing time, even on a deep roster.

"I was concerned [that they'd leave]," Odom said, "... and I was thrilled that they didn't."

Experience is no guarantee of future success. But Odom greatly prefers starting this season on firmer ground than last year, when everything was new. The Cavaliers open their season Nov. 3 at home against Drexel.

"As individuals, you want them to feel like they can fulfill their goals," he said, "and to enjoy their experiences in the community. And you can add to that wanting to win a championship."