Virginia Basketball Ranked In Top 50 In First Unveil Of Net Rankings of 2025-2026 Season

Virginia sits in a good spot in the first net rankings this year

Nov 28, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom reacts after a call against the Queens University of Charlotte Royals during the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The first official net rankings have been released for the college basketball season. With the early part of the season and November basketball now done, let’s take a look at where the Hoos currently sit. 

Virginia is ranked as the No.31 team per net ranking and No.4 in the ACC in the same metric, just behind Duke, Louisville, and North Carolina. The Cavaliers are 6-1 on the season and have been impressive in a couple of categories. They are the No. 1 team in offensive rebounds per game at 17.57 per game. They are also top 10 in rebounds per game, averaging 44.71. 

What is Net Rankings? 

Nov 28, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom (right) speaks to Cavaliers guard Dallin Hall (30) on the sidelines against the Queens University of Charlotte Royals during the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Net rankings are a pivotal metric in helping determine a team's resume as it comes to being worthy to make the NCAA tournament.  A good sign is that the ACC is a lot better than it was last year and has more teams in the top 50 of the Net rankings. The ACC is second behind the SEC, and has eight teams in the top 50. 

Top 50 NET Rankings by Conference:

American: 1
ACC: 8
Atlantic 10: 3
Big 12: 7
Big East: 4
Big Ten: 9
Big West: 1
Ivy: 1
MAC: 1
Mountain West: 1
MVC: 1
SEC: 9
Southland: 1
WCC: 3 https://t.co/wVHkvq7Yt1

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) December 1, 2025

Here is a clearer definition of what net rankings are per the NCAA website.

“Since the NET rankings serve as the primary sorting tool for Division I men's basketball, they play an important role in establishing a team's resume. The men’s and women’s basketball NET rankings and team sheets will be provided publicly on a daily basis on NCAA.com and NCAA.org starting in December.”

"Using the quadrant system, which was in its fourth season in 2020-21, the quality of wins and losses will be organized based on game location and the opponent's NET ranking."

• Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
• Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
• Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
• Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353

Virginia is 1-1 right now in Quadrant 1, 1-0 in Quadrant 3, and 4-0 in Quadrant 4. Their notable win in Quadrant 1 was against Northwestern in the Greenbrier Classic. Northwestern is the No.48 team in net ranking, and the Cavaliers defeated them on a neutral court. The Hoos fell to Butler, who is ranked No. 21 in net ranking and considered one of the better teams. Virginia will have a chance to pick up some Quadrant 2 wins over Texas and Dayton in its next two games, but won’t be able to pick up a Quadrant 1 win until ACC play at the end of the year. Virginia sits at a good spot and will get a chance to add to its resume with games against NC State, Louisville, North Carolina, and Duke. The Cavaliers look like one of the better teams in the ACC and will have a chance to prove it over the next few months.

"Yeah, I think there's certainly talking points and, you know, we can't really control that. You know, ultimately we have to do our part, you know, within the games. It is what it is. We have to win and we are in the ACC and win as many games as we can and some of these matchups are going to be tough on the road some at home that we have to take care of business and, you know, we have the full confidence you know of league and the coaches and the players, you know, in this league certainly something that I think all of the teams want to do well and ultimately you have to play well that particular night and we can't get caught up in it because it is just one game. But they're all important games. They are opportunities, you know, for our league, and so we want to make the most of the opportunities that we're being given, whether it's on the road or at home," said head coach Ryan Odom.

More Virginia Basketball News:

•The Plus/Minus: Virginia Men’s Basketball Bounces Back, Defeats Queens

•Three Key Takeaways from Virginia's Victory Over Queens University

•Virginia Basketball vs Queens: Matchup Preview and Final Score Prediction

•How to watch Virginia Basketball vs Queens University: Tip Off Time and TV Channel