Virginia hires VCU's Ryan Odom

Virginia hired VCU's Ryan Odom as its next head coach, the school announced in a statement Saturday.

Odom will replace interim head coach Ron Sanchez, who took over in October after the sudden retirement of Tony Bennett.

Virginia stumbled to a 15-17 mark during Sanchez's lone season in charge.

Odom spent the previous two campaigns with the Rams, guiding the program to a 52-21 record. He led VCU to an A-10 regular-season title and conference tournament crown this past season.

Odom famously coached 16th-seeded UMBC to an upset of top-seeded Virginia in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The 50-year-old subsequently spent three more seasons with the Retrievers before joining Utah State for a two-year stint.

The Cavaliers haven't won an NCAA Tournament game since capturing the 2019 national championship.