Why Virginia Should Be Ranked In The Top 10 This Week In The AP Poll

Virginia has remained around the top 15 this season when it comes to the rankings and have won eight consecutive games. They have been doing it with a mix of offense and their defense. The offense is coming alive in its last two ACC outings, with the Cavaliers eclipsing 85 points in back-to-back outings. They blew out Georgia Tech on the road thanks to 14 made three pointers and a 42-9 start to the game. Miami was more drawn out, but the offense prevailed in an 86-83 victory at home. The one thing that separates the Cavaliers is that they are battle-tested and have played a lot of close games this season. It has helped them to learn how to execute at a high level and make the plays that will lead them to victory.

The Cavaliers have lost just three games this season and are playing some of their best ball right now. They should be ranked above Kansas, which has lost two of its last three games. Also, Nebraska, which went 1-1 this past week, Texas Tech, which has been struggling as of late, and Illinois. The Hoos have continued to win in a much-improved and revamped ACC and have been handling business at home, neutral sites, and on the road. They deserve to be a top 10 team in the country.

The team is improving defenisvely especially Johann Grunloh, who made his presence felt defensively. He had a team-high five blocks against Miami on Saturday in a battle of the top teams in the ACC.

"Yeah, I mean Johann was tremendous. I thought it was one of his better games, if not the best game of his career, his early career so far. [I’m] really proud of him. Talked to the team about that in the locker room just a second ago, and he blocked so many shots around the rim, several were one, was a foul unfortunately, but he's just a really good player, and it's great to see him kind of coming out of that. He had a couple of games where he wasn't at his best, and that's how seasons go. But he's a determined player and a confident player, and I thought he did a nice job tonight."

This week will provide a different challenge for Virginia, who will play NC State and Duke, who are some of the better teams in the conference. Can they prevail with the final tough part of their regular season schedule?

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