Predicting Where Virginia Will Be Ranked In The Latest AP Basketball Poll

Where should the Hoos be ranked?

Jan 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas (1) brings the ball up court against the SMU Mustangs during the first half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Virginia looks like the team to beat in college basketball and bolstered its resume this past week with road victories over Louisville and SMU. Both were quad 1 victories for the Cavaliers, and they picked up their first AP Top 25 win of the season over Louisville on Tuesday night. Neither victory was easy for the Cavaliers, but they showed their mental fortitude and pulled through, which shows the mark of a great team. One of the players who played the best last week was Malik Thomas, who has been getting it done on both ends of the floor. Against Louisville, Thomas finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 6-8 shooting from three-point range. He did it again vs SMU and recorded a double-double, finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He did a lot of his damage on the offensive glass and kept possessions alive for the Hoos. He was also unconscious from three-point range, going 6-10. His performance was major for the Cavaliers. 

It was a solid week for the Hoos, who are 16-2 on the season. Head coach Ryan Odom talked about the week and what it meant for the Cavaliers. 

“I mean, it's huge, you know, to win on the road. Every win on the road is like gold, and this particular group understands that if you want to compete at the highest level of the ACC and compete, you know, for a championship, you have to win games on the road. The eventual champion will do that. know we're not playing, you know, a ton of teams twice, and you have one shot at a lot, you know, the majority of the teams that you're going to play, whether it's at home or on the road. So you just want to put your best foot forward in each of those opportunities. Then you learn from it. Whether you win or you lose, you go home and figure out, okay, where are the areas, what are the things that we need to tweak a little bit to continue to improve, because that's the most important thing. We've got to get better over the course of the season,” said Odom. 

Where will they be ranked? 

Jan 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs de Ridder (28) controls the ball in front of SMU Mustangs guard B.J. Edwards (0) and forward Corey Washington (3) during the second half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Virginia should threaten for a top 10 spot after more chaos in college basketball. No.2 Iowa State, No.10 Vanderbilt, and No.14 North Carolina all lost. The Tar Heels dropped both of their games this week, which should put the Hoos above them in the rankings. Virginia is 5-1 in the ACC with its lone loss to the Hokies. They have proven they are one of the best teams in the country and the conference. I would put them around No.11 and even No.10 after the big road victory in a very good ACC conference. The Hoos are 4-1 in Quad 1, 4-1 in Quad 2, 2-0 in Quad 3, and 6-0 in Quad 4. They are an elite team and deserve to be ranked as such. 

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