The Wildcats’ Jay Wright had just won one of two national titles the year prior, while the Hoos’ Tony Bennett would go on to win his championship two years later. Both Virginia and Villanova enjoyed enormous success and reached the pinnacle of college basketball under the watch of two great minds of the game.

After easing into its sudden new era, Virginia's first true test has arrived. The Cavaliers (2-0) will aim to remain undefeated under interim coach Ron Sanchez when they battle Villanova on Friday at the Hall of Fame Series in Baltimore.

Villanova will play Virginia at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Villanova went 18-16 overall with a 7-5 record in non-conference games in the 2023-24 season. The Wildcats averaged 70.2 points per game last season,