clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Cavaliers Rise in the Rankings After Impressive Performances

NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga at Pepperdine Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Even after only going 1-1 this past week, Virginia got a big boost in the rankings, jumping multiple spots in each poll. One has to wonder just how high the Cavaliers would have risen had the Big Ragu not gotten a tip in for Villanova at the buzzer.

AP Poll

The Hoos jumped 3 spots in the AP Poll to No. 9 thanks in large part to UNC, UCLA, and Oregon all dropping winnable games this past week. The Top Ten bloodbath that was this last week also allowed Louisville to jump from No. 13 to No. 6 and become the ACC’s highest ranked team. Another former UVa opponent, West Virginia jumped 11 spots from No. 18 to No. 7. At the top, many hot takes will be spilled after Gonzaga finally reaches the pinnacle of rankings.

AP Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Gonzaga (46) 22-0 1,594
2 Baylor (6) 20-1 1,504
3 Kansas (9) 19-2 1,503
4 Villanova (4) 20-2 1,479
5 Arizona 20-2 1,387
6 Louisville 18-4 1,237
7 West Virginia 17-4 1,101
8 Kentucky 17-4 1,083
9 Virginia 16-4 1,061
10 Wisconsin 18-3 1,058
11 UCLA 19-3 993
12 North Carolina 19-4 965
13 Oregon 19-3 863
14 Cincinnati 19-2 756
15 Florida State 18-4 727
16 Butler 18-4 717
17 Maryland 19-2 518
18 Saint Mary's 19-2 409
19 South Carolina 17-4 384
20 Notre Dame 17-5 363
21 Duke 16-5 339
22 Creighton 19-3 307
23 Purdue 17-5 264
24 Florida 16-5 213
25 Northwestern 18-4 106
Others receiving votes: SMU 69, Xavier 67, USC 29, Wichita St 8, Akron 5, Middle Tennessee 5, VCU 3, Virginia Tech 2, Illinois State 2, New Mexico State 2, Utah 1, Iowa State 1

USA Today Coaches’ Poll

The leap was not quite as big in the Coaches’ Poll only rising to No. 11 from No. 13. The voters did not punish UCLA, UNC, and Oregon like they did in the AP Poll, but did reward Wisconsin with a 6 spot rise after beating Penn State and Rutgers (in OT). Louisville was also given a 7 spot rise to be the ACC’s top ranked team.

USA Today Coaches’ Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Gonzaga (24) 22-0 785
2 Kansas (7) 19-2 749
3 Baylor 20-1 720
4 Villanova (1) 20-2 719
5 Arizona 20-2 672
6 Kentucky 17-4 583
7 Louisville 18-4 525
8 UCLA 19-3 518
9 Wisconsin 18-3 509
10 North Carolina 19-4 499
11 Virginia 16-4 470
12 West Virginia 17-4 457
13 Oregon 19-3 451
14 Cincinnati 19-2 360
15 Butler 18-4 328
16 Florida State 18-4 321
17 Maryland 19-2 253
18 Notre Dame 17-5 228
19 Saint Mary's 19-2 214
20 South Carolina 17-4 191
21 Duke 16-5 165
22 Creighton 19-3 159
23 Florida 16-5 137
24 Purdue 17-5 106
25 Xavier 15-6 97
Others receiving votes: Northwestern 73, SMU 33, USC 24, Miami 19, Middle Tennessee 9, UNC Wilmington 8, New Mexico State 7, Indiana 3, Nevada 3, Wichita St 3, Akron 1, Kansas State 1