Virginia moves up in ESPN’s August men’s basketball rankings

This past week has been an uncommonly eventful midsummer for college basketball. Virginia and the rest of the country have been closely following the Class of 2022 injunction, and how it could affect the 2026-27 season.

A few months away from the season’s dawn, Virginia was moved up from No. 14 to No. 13 in ESPN’s early power rankings — ascending after St. Johns slid seven spots due to its prized transfer acquisition suffering a torn Achilles.

The others hovering around the top 10

In ascending order, Virginia sits behind Louisville, USC and Arkansas.

The Cardinals have once again produced a bulbous offseason portal haul led by Flory Bidunga, former Kansas center and top big man available in the portal. Louisville also reeled in Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad (15.5 points per game in 12 games last season), plus transfers from Arkansas, Iowa and more. The No. 13 Cardinals are hoping to blend some potent individual talents, but will need to figure out how to share the basketball and field a strong team defense.

USC came in at No. 11, led by returner Rodney Rice (20.3 points per game) and KJ Lewis (14.9 points per game at Georgetown). The Trojans also have some coveted freshmen along with former Cavaliers forward Jacob Cofie.

Arkansas, at No. 10, is one of Virginia’s top out-of-conference opponents this upcoming season. The Razorbacks are helmed by the reputable Coach John Calipari, and feature several prized high school recruits along with promising SEC transfers. It is a young team — but one that provides the opportunity for a major resume-booster for the Cavaliers’ schedule.

Which of Virginia’s opponents are featured in the rankings?

Including an exhibition game and a home-and-away with Duke, the Cavaliers play nearly a third of the teams ranked in ESPN’s projection.

No. 2 Duke (twice)
No. 5 UConn
No. 10 Arkansas
No. 12 Louisville
No. 17 Miami
No. 19 Kentucky
No. 21 Vanderbilt (exhibition)
Next five: North Carolina

Virginia’s schedule is littered with formidable opponents — and these preseason rankings reflect that fact. The Cavaliers will undoubtedly face some arduous tests. On the other hand, a difficult schedule makes for a strong strength of schedule. Virginia could be rewarded in polls for playing a bevy of blue bloods.

Last year, the Cavaliers went 1-2 against ranked opponents in the regular season. Coach Ryan Odom has said that he wants to challenge his team more this time around in order to prepare them for the trials of postseason play. With a schedule like this, he has certainly done that. ESPN’s rankings reflect the fact that Virginia features ample continuity and is not shying away from elite competition.

Add us as a preferred source on Google