Virginia
Virginia enters NCAA Tournament with eyes on return to March Madness success
PHILADELPHIA, PA (WTKR)- Virginia fans were on top of the world in April of 2019. Their Cavaliers were on top of college basketball, hoisting their first national championship at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The Wahoos’ NCAA Tournament showing since then has been anything but stellar. Since that 2019 triumph, UVA is 0-3 in the Big Dance with first round losses to Ohio (2021), Furman (2023) and a First Four drubbing at the hands of Colorado State (2024).
Ryan Odom has Cavalier Nation thinking Virginia is on the brink of reversing course. Winners of 13 of their last 15 games, the Cavs enter the 2026 tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, 29-5 after a tight ACC championship game loss to Duke and take on Wright State Friday afternoon in hopes of tipping off a deep run into the bracket.
UVA is averaging 80.6 points per game, the highest point output the program has seen in more than two decades and different that the methodical defense-first style played by the Cavaliers under Tony Bennett. The Cavaliers average more than 28 three-point attempts per game and make around 10.
The orange and blue can crash the glass, entering the NCAA Tournament No. 18 nationally with 40.21 rebounds per game.
Odom’s squad is still performing at the defensive end, holding opponents to 68.4 points per outing. The Cavaliers lead the country in blocks with 6.5 per game, paced by Ugonna Onyenso, who tallies nearly three swats per contest by himself. He had nine blocks this past Saturday alone, setting an ACC title game record, part of 21 total blocks during the tournament, which also signified a new high-water mark. The Cavs also hold teams to 39.53 percent from the floor, good enough for 13th in the country.
Thijs De Ridder paces Virginia with 15.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, pacing three Cavaliers averaging in double figures. Malik Thomas chips in 12.4 points per game, while Sam Lewis adds 10.8 points per contest. Chance Mallory, Jacari White and Onyenso give Odom plenty of depth off the bench.
The head coach himself has taken four teams to the Big Dance and is 1-3 in the event. Odom put his stamp on March Madness, when his UMBC Retrievers became the first No. 16 seed to top a No. 1 seed in 2018, topping the Virginia program he currently leads. The lead Wahoo has also guided Utah State and VCU to the field of 68.
UVA will take on a Wright State squad that enters 23-11 on the year and has won five in a row and 18 of its last 22. The Raiders claimed the Horizon League crown to punch their ticket to the tournament.
With a win Friday afternoon, Virginia would advance to Sunday’s second round against either Tennessee or Miami (OH).
WTKR News 3 sports director Marc Davis is in Philadelphia following the Cavaliers and will have coverage both on-air and online throughout the tournament.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
Aerial of the Cutalong course and main clubhouse at the Tributer Resort in central Virginia. The property has plans to add a second 18-hole championship course designed by Tiger Woods.
RON BLUNT STUDIO | Tributer Resort
A new Tiger Woods-designed course is coming to the Tributer Resort in Lake Anna, Virginia, a future member offering for the growing residential component in development at the destination property that in 2021 opened one of the top new courses in the state.
The second course won’t begin construction until 2028 but the project from TGR Design is part of the ambitious expansion plans from Reef Capital Partners, the ownership group behind newer golf destinations such as Black Desert Resort (UT) and Sweetens Cove (TN) that continue to gain popularity.
Situated in central Virginia, about 55 miles north of Richmond and 85 miles southwest of Washington D.C., Tributer Resort currently has Cutalong Golf Club, an 18-hole championship layout modeled after C.B. Macdonald’s National Golf Links of America. The current course was recognized by Golf Digest in 2023 as one of the Top 5 best new private courses in the U.S. and the forthcoming TGR course will provide a second distinct championship golf experience.
The routing for the new, member-only TGR Design course at Tributer Resort in Central Virginia.
Tributer Resort
Tributer Resort is evolving into a lifestyle and residential destination under Reef Capital Partners, which acquired the property in 2018, with a year-round environment rooted in golf as well as hospitality and waterfront living near Lake Anna. When complete, the community will include more than 900 residences along with multiple dining spaces, wellness amenities, lakeside recreation, curated outdoor experiences, and trail systems.
“This new course announcement represents a major milestone in the evolution of Tributer Resort and reinforces our commitment to building a premier golf destination at Lake Anna,” said Tributer Resort General Manager Ian Sikes. “Together with our existing offerings, this addition brings a new level of excitement and distinction to the club and community.”
Tributer Resort is adding more golf-centric accommodations as part of its expansion.
Tributer Resort The residential component of the resort currently includes seven golf villas and eight cottages, all of which are member-owned but available to guests interested in stay-and-play packages at the property, in addition to estate lots with golf course views. Buildout plans call for a total of 22 golf villas (four bedrooms) and 34 cottages (two bedrooms), although guests will only have access to the Cutalong course, not the new TGR Design, which will be member-only. Golf memberships, which offer priority access to both courses, are now available. There are also social memberships reserved for residents interested in the Tributer lifestyle beyond golf.
“Our vision is to create a vibrant, enduring community where resort amenities are seamlessly integrated into everyday life,” said Reef CEO Jared Lucero. “This next phase brings together thoughtfully designed residences, elevated amenities, golf, and world-class recreation.”
The existing Cutalong Course at Tributer.
Brian Oar | Tributer While the Cutalong course is inspired by strategic principles of golf’s Golden Age architects (Donald Ross and Alister MacKenzie among them), the forthcoming TGR Design course will showcase the property’s dramatic topography and natural landscape of a property where miners in the 19th and 20th centuries once dug for copper, pyrite and traces of gold. Routed through rolling farmland, mature hardwood forests and pine groves overlooking Lake Anna, the second course will stretch to 7,310 yards from the championship tees and be defined by strategic shot values and a distinct variety of holes with expansive vistas.
“A balanced mix of uphill and downhill holes, shifting perspectives, and natural landforms will ensure no two holes feel alike, creating a course that feels organic in its movement and varied in its demands,” said TGR Design President Bryon Bell, who noted that strategy, creativity and thoughtful decision-making will define the overall experience. True to Tiger’s design principles, it will challenge elite players yet remain playable and engaging for less experienced or less skilled players.
“Lake Anna provides a remarkable setting for championship golf,” added Bell, “and we’re excited to see this design come to life in a way that fully reflects its sense of place.”
The existing Cutalong Course, recently named one of the top new private courses in Virginia, during the fall.
Brian Oar | Tributer Woods and TGR Design have an existing relationship with Reef, having designed the first of two courses at the private club community of Marcella in northern Utah. Cutalong was the first golf property acquired by Reef Capital Partners, evolving –and re-branding — as Tributer, and was the launchpad for an expanding portfolio of golf developments.
Complementing the golf courses at Tributer is an 18-hole, lighted putting course (The Shenandoah Green) that’s designed as part of a social and entertainment venue adjacent to the clubhouse that overlooks the 1st and 18th greens of the existing course. Single-night and multi-night stay-and-play packages are available at the resort, providing a member-type experience within private residences. The putting green next to the clubhouse at the Tributer Resort in Central Virginia.
RON BLUNT STUDIO | Tributer ResortGolf Residences
RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) — Our very own Noreen Turyn was honored at the Virginia Capitol as she prepares to step away from the desk after more than three decades.
The Virginia House of Delegates recognized Turyn in honor of her retirement after 36 years with ABC13. Lawmakers unanimously adopted House Resolution 2072, patroned by Del. Wendell Walker of the 52nd District, recognizing her decades of service to Central Virginia journalism.
Since joining the station in 1990, Turyn has become one of the region’s most trusted news voices, earning a regional Emmy Award and recognition for her investigative reporting.
“Noreen’s legacy in Central Virginia is the confidence that she’s inspired viewers and countless journalists tahts he has mentored along the way,” Walker said.
During the House proceedings, the vote was called and approved: “All those in favor of the motion say aye. All those in denial say naye. The motion is passed. Congrats.”
Walker said Turyn’s impact extends beyond the anchor desk through the viewers she informed and the journalists she mentored throughout her career.
The government has a bridge to sell you.
North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek said the taxpayers have been paying for it since 1995 to the tune of about $61 million. To this day, construction has not begun between Aydlett and Corolla. https://www.wavy.com/news/north-carolina/61-million-spent-on-troubled-mid-currituck-bridge-project/
-
Pennsylvania3 minutes agoPennsylvania coroners refuse to release autopsy reports – and that hinders research on deaths in custody
-
Rhode Island6 minutes ago‘Condom Hut’ Movie Adds Another Big Name
-
South-Carolina11 minutes agoStar Fox Review: Can’t quite teach an old Fox new tricks
-
South Dakota18 minutes agoRounds, Office of the Inspector General requesting first-hand accounts of poor mail service in South Dakota
-
Tennessee21 minutes agoESPN updates NBA mock draft for Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Felix Okpara in second round
-
Texas26 minutes agoTexas lawmakers want fixes to statewide voter registration system ahead of midterms
-
Utah33 minutes ago‘Now’s our time’: Utah Jazz fans rejoice as Darryn Peterson gives them something they’ve been missing
-
Vermont36 minutes agoCosts — and frustrations — rise as Royalton waits for bridge
