Virginia Stumbles Multiple Spots in Latest AP Top 25 Poll After Their Loss to North Carolina

Virginia let a big lead slip away in the second half against North Carolina and that loss caused them to drop a few spots in the AP Poll

Jan 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas (1) looks to move the ball past SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) during the second half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Virginia led by double digits in the first half of their game against North Carolina and it looked like the Cavaliers might get a signature blowout win. However, the usually stingy defense for UVA collapsed in the second half and the Tar Heels found a way to win in the end, giving Virginia their second conference loss of the season.

Because that was their only result of the week, Virginia dropped three spots in the latest AP Top 25 poll, falling from No. 14 to No. 17.

BREAKING: College Basketball AP Poll🚨https://t.co/4Fe0B56KVE pic.twitter.com/fse1wIUWLN

— On3 (@On3) January 26, 2026

UVA is the third highest-ranked team in the ACC, behind No. 4 Duke and No. 16 North Carolina.

This week, Virginia will resume ACC play with matchups against Notre Dame and Boston College.

Disappointing Outcome

Jan 7, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom (center) looks on from the sidelines against the California Golden Bears during the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The first half of the game on Saturday was the complete opposite of the second half. Virginia looked like the far better team in the first half, but turnovers and poor defense doomed them the entire second half.

However, head coach Ryan Odom did not think that his team lost their edge.

"No, I mean, I didn't notice that when I walked in at halftime, but we did talk about it. We need to come out; this is what just happened. Seven to one, not typically what we do. Alright, so we need to fix it coming out of half. And I don't think there was any relax in our guys. We're playing a good basketball team. It's no different than I said prior to even playing the game. This is a good team that we're getting ready to play. A very talented team and a well-coached team. So I think Carolina just did a nice job."

He also talked about the team's turnovers:

"I mean, I think the first half we had a couple, you know, maybe four, we ended up with 11. I mean, the key is you're going to turn it over on occasion. Some of them were bad beats, some of them were not. They made good plays, you know, knocking it out of our hands. Loose balls, whatever it is, we've been generally pretty good at, you know, getting on those and coming up with those. The key is you can't have those turn into baskets, and tonight they turned into baskets."

This is a bit of a setback for Virginia's momentum, but they are going to be heavy favorites in each of their next two games this week. Let's see how they bounce back.