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The 2016-17 NCAA college basketball season is officially in the books. A champion has been crowned, everyone sang along to “One Shining Moment”, and attention has shifted to lacrosse/tennis/baseball.
Not so fast, my friends. Virginia finished the 2017 season with a 23-11 record, spent the entire season in the AP Top-25 poll, and picked up wins over Louisville (x2), Notre Dame, and the now National Champion UNC en route to an 11-7 ACC record.
So, where do the “experts” think the Hoos will be next season? We looked at ten “Way Too Early” preseason rankings to find out. Click the poll names to see their full rankings.
Where are the Hoos “Way Too Early”?
| Poll | No.1 | UVA Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Poll | No.1 | UVA Rank |
| Yahoo | Kentucky | 25 |
| Sports Illustrated | Arizona | 18 |
| ESPN | Kentucky | 14 |
| The Big Lead | Gonzaga | NR |
| SBNation | North Carolina | 28 |
| Fox Sports | Arizona | NR |
| USA Today | Arizona | 29 |
| Sporting News | Arizona | NR |
| Fan Rag | Louisville | NR |
| CBS | Kansas | NR |
As you can see, five polls didn’t include Virginia at all, two had them outside the top 25 but ranked within the top 30, and three had them inside the top 25. ESPN had Virginia ranked the highest at #14.
The experts didn’t seem to agree on who should garner the top spot, with four of ten picking Arizona, and the other six picking between five schools.
Where do you think Virginia will start next season? Who is your preseason #1? Leave a comment below!