1981-82 Virginia Cavaliers — schedule and results

The 1981-82 Virginia Cavaliers went 30-4 (12-2 in the ACC) under head coach Terry Holland. The team peaked at #1 in the AP poll. Simple Rating System: 19.39.

Game-by-game results (31 games)

DateOpponentResultArena
1981-11-21neutral BYU CougarsW 63–61
1981-11-27vs Fairfield StagsW 107–66University Hall
1981-11-28vs George Mason PatriotsW 76–57University Hall
1981-12-05at VMI KeydetsW 76–49Cameron Hall
1981-12-09vs Duke Blue DevilsW 92–83University Hall
1981-12-28neutral Richmond SpidersW 74–43
1981-12-30neutral James Madison DukesW 57–44
1982-01-02vs James Madison DukesW 73–65University Hall
1982-01-06neutral Notre Dame Fighting IrishW 87–54
1982-01-09at North Carolina Tar HeelsL 60–65Carmichael Auditorium
1982-01-12vs Maryland TerrapinsW 45–40University Hall
1982-01-14vs Wagner SeahawksW 99–67University Hall
1982-01-16vs Georgia Tech Yellow JacketsW 79–60University Hall
1982-01-17vs Clemson TigersW 89–68University Hall
1982-01-20at George Washington RevolutionariesW 80–54Charles E. Smith Center
1982-01-24at Louisville CardinalsW 74–56Freedom Hall
1982-01-27at Wake Forest Demon DeaconsW 69–66Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum
1982-01-30at Duke Blue DevilsW 77–65Cameron Indoor Stadium
1982-02-03vs North Carolina Tar HeelsW 74–58University Hall
1982-02-06neutral Virginia Tech HokiesW 80–66
1982-02-10at NC State WolfpackW 39–36Reynolds Coliseum
1982-02-13at Clemson TigersW 56–54Littlejohn Coliseum
1982-02-15at Georgia Tech Yellow JacketsW 56–52Alexander Memorial Coliseum
1982-02-20vs NC State WolfpackW 45–40University Hall
1982-02-24vs Wake Forest Demon DeaconsW 84–66University Hall
1982-02-27at Maryland TerrapinsL 46–47Cole Fieldhouse
1982-03-05neutral Clemson TigersW 56–54Greensboro Coliseum
1982-03-06neutral Wake Forest Demon DeaconsW 51–49Greensboro Coliseum
1982-03-07neutral North Carolina Tar HeelsL 45–47Greensboro Coliseum
1982-03-14neutral Tennessee VolunteersW 54–51Market Square Arena
1982-03-18neutral UAB BlazersL 66–68BJCC Coliseum

Game recaps

1981-11-21: Behind Othell Wilson's 16 points, Virginia Cavaliers held off Brigham Young Cougars 63–61. Fred Roberts had 16 for Brigham Young Cougars.

1981-11-27: Virginia Cavaliers routed Fairfield Stags 107–66. Tim Mullen led the winners with 16 points. Robert Hurt had 13 for Fairfield Stags.

1981-12-05: Virginia Cavaliers routed VMI Keydets 76–49. Othell Wilson led the winners with 20 points. Cedric Wins had 17 for VMI Keydets.

1981-12-09: Virginia Cavaliers got past Duke Blue Devils 92–83 as Jim Miller scored a team-high 26. Vince Taylor had 31 for Duke Blue Devils.

1982-01-02: Behind Othell Wilson's 17 points, Virginia Cavaliers defeated James Madison Dukes 73–65. Dan Ruland had 18 for James Madison Dukes.

1982-01-09: Behind Worthy's 17 points, North Carolina Tar Heels defeated Virginia Cavaliers 65–60. Sampson had 30 for Virginia Cavaliers.

1982-01-12: Virginia Cavaliers beat Maryland Terrapins 45–40. Jeff Jones led the winners with 13 points. Adrian Branch had 15 for Maryland Terrapins.

1982-01-14: Virginia Cavaliers routed Wagner Seahawks 99–67. Craig Robinson led the winners with 24 points. Bob Mahala had 19 for Wagner Seahawks.

1982-01-16: Behind Ralph Sampson's 24 points, Virginia Cavaliers pulled away from Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 79–60. Anthony Byrd had 14 for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

1982-01-17: Behind Ralph Sampson's 22 points, Virginia Cavaliers rolled past Clemson Tigers 89–68. Fred Gilliam had 12 for Clemson Tigers.

1982-01-27: Virginia Cavaliers edged Wake Forest Demon Deacons 69–66. Tim Mullen led the winners with 21 points. Jim Johnstone had 19 for Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

1982-01-30: Behind Ralph Sampson's 23 points, Virginia Cavaliers pulled away from Duke Blue Devils 77–65. Vince Taylor had 17 for Duke Blue Devils.

1982-02-03: Virginia Cavaliers beat North Carolina Tar Heels 74–58 as Othell Wilson scored a team-high 20. Mike Jordan had 17 for North Carolina Tar Heels.

1982-02-10: Virginia Cavaliers survived N.C. State Wolfpack 39–36 as Ralph Sampson scored a team-high 11. Thurl Bailey had 12 for N.C. State Wolfpack.

1982-02-15: Behind Othell Wilson's 15 points, Virginia Cavaliers defeated Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 56–52. Brook Steppe had 26 for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

1982-02-20: Virginia Cavaliers beat N.C. State Wolfpack 45–40. Othell Wilson led the winners with 12 points. Thurl Bailey had 12 for N.C. State Wolfpack.

1982-02-24: Behind Ralph Sampson's 22 points, Virginia Cavaliers pulled away from Wake Forest Demon Deacons 84–66. John Toms had 17 for Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Ralph Sampson grabbed 20 rebounds.

1982-02-27: Behind Adrian Branch's 29 points, Maryland Terrapins held off Virginia Cavaliers 47–46.

1982-03-05: Virginia Cavaliers edged Clemson Tigers 56–54. Ralph Sampson led the winners with 13 points. Vince Hamilton had 22 for Clemson Tigers.

1982-03-06: Virginia Cavaliers survived Wake Forest Demon Deacons 51–49 as Jimmy Miller scored a team-high 10. Mike Helms had 16 for Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

1982-03-07: Behind James Worthy's 16 points, North Carolina Tar Heels held off Virginia Cavaliers 47–45. Ralph Sampson had 12 for Virginia Cavaliers.

1982-03-18: UAB Blazers edged Virginia Cavaliers 68–66. Oliver Robinson led the winners with 23 points. Ralph Sampson had 19 for Virginia Cavaliers. Ralph Sampson grabbed 21 rebounds.

Virginia Cavaliers program history · All Division I programs · Hoopsipedia home

Hoopsipedia
Hpsipedia
EST. 2025 · VOL. II · NCAA OFFICIAL RECORDS
● 360 PROGRAMS · VERIFIED
★ ★ ★ The complete record of college basketball ★ ★ ★
Hpsipedia
★ Built for banter. Backed by the record book. ★
THE MAIN EVENT
Program 1
?
VS
since 1900
Program 2
?
Try:
✦ Ask Hoopsipedia AI
THE RECORD BOOK

All-time wins

Full leaderboard →
Rank Team All-Time Wins

On this day

SPOTLIGHT

AP Top 25

All rankings →
DISCOVER

More to argue about

Rankings Deep Dive
Who's REALLY a blue blood?
Our composite HTSS ranking of all-time program strength. See how every team stacks up across 100+ years.
EXPLORE →
Time Machine
Travel back to any season
See who was #1, who was rising, and who was falling. Every season from 1949 to today.
EXPLORE →
Coach Trees
The coaching lineages
From Dean Smith to Roy Williams to Hubert Davis — trace the family trees of college basketball's greatest coaches.
EXPLORE →

2026 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Last updated: --:--:--
For the best bracket experience, view on a desktop or rotate your device to landscape.

Team Rankings

Rank Team Conference All-Time Wins

Teams

★ ★ The architects ★ ★

COACHES

Top 100 by all-time D1 wins. Verified against the NCAA record book — and tiered so you can argue properly.

SETTLE A DEBATE
Compare Coaches
VS
FILTER BY TIER:
# COACH RECORD WIN % SCHOOL(S) YEARS BEST SEASON / LEGACY
Ask Hoopsipedia BETA
Hi! I'm the Hoopsipedia Assistant. I can look up team histories, compare programs, explore rankings, and more. Try asking: