Virginia Drop Two Spots In The Latest AP Basketball Poll

Virginia is ranked No.23 in the latest AP Poll rankings that came out for the first time in over two weeks. There are currently five teams in the ACC ranked in the AP Poll, with SMU being the latest addition to the poll. The Hoos sit one spot ahead of the Mustangs in the poll.

Virginia lost a three-overtime game to its rival, Virginia Tech, earlier in the week and a 95-85 defeat. It was a game that went back and forth, and the Hokies were the victor.
The Hoos rebounded in a big way against NC State and shut down the Wolfpack, holding them to just 61 points.

Sam Lewis was a key player, dropping 23 points on 8-12 shooting. He knocked down five three-pointers and was pivotal for the Hoos in pulling out the victory over NC State.

"Yeah, I mean, we don't always have a first option, quite honestly. I mean, we do have a leading scorer, you know, everywhere I've coached, you know, it's all the open guys, the go-to guy, and certainly we run plays for specific guys at times, but it's more about moving the ball. The ball will find you, and it's your turn. And Sam was ready tonight. His teammates found him, and he knocked it down. We have tremendous confidence in Sam and his ability to make shots and make the right play,” said head coach Ryan Odom.

Virginia also improved their rebounding in the game against NC State and had a +12 advantage on the glass. The Cavaliers grabbed nine offensive rebounds, which led to 13 second-chance points. Coach Odom talked about the difference in the rebounding advantage.

"We talked about, you know, our ability to force misses, and our guys have done that all year. Our two-point field goal percentage has been really good. Our three-point percentage defense has been really good, so teams get to the free-throw line. And some of that is as a function of us not being disciplined enough or consistently enough to be physical and hit people, to then come up with rebounds. And so like, we can't go out like that. Like, we have to be a team that's going to be physical, that's going to be a defensive rebound. All right. Because that really helps our offense when we're able to do that,” said Odom.

Virginia is now 1-1 in ACC play with games coming up against California and Stanford. These will be key games at home for the Cavaliers, who can pick up some Quad 2 wins to add to their resume.

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