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Virginia basketball ranked No. 4 in preseason AP Poll

High expectations for the reigning champs.

By Caroline Darney

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NCAA Basketball: Louisville at Virginia Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

The first AP Poll of the 2020-21 season came out today (November 9), and the Virginia Cavaliers checked in at No. 4. Virginia is technically still the reigning National Champion after the 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the Hoos will have a legitimate shot at keeping the crown for three straight years.

Gonzaga came in at the No. 1 spot, followed by Baylor and Villanova, respectively. Virginia has a game scheduled against No. 3 Villanova on December 19 at Madison Square Garden. Although we don’t yet have an official schedule, we know (or as well as we can know something in 2020) that the Wildcats are one of five ranked teams the Hoos will face this season. Virginia’s ACC-Big Ten opponent came in at No. 13, and No. 9 Duke, No. 16 North Carolina, and No. 21 Florida State join Virginia as ACC teams in the top-25.

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The Big Ten leads all conferences with seven ranked teams, followed by the Big 12 with five and the ACC with four.

Virginia’s season gets underway on November 25th in Uncasville (aka “Bubbleville”), Connecticut. St. Peter’s has apparently withdrawn from the event, but the Hoos are looking for a replacement team to open the season. Florida, Virginia’s second opponent of the season, received the second-most votes for teams outside the rankings.

Here is the full poll:

AP Poll - Preseason

Rank School Conference
Rank School Conference
1 Gonzaga WCC
2 Baylor Big 12
3 Villanova Big East
4 Virginia ACC
5 Iowa Big Ten
6 Kansas Big 12
7 Wisconsin Big Ten
8 Illinois Big Ten
9 Duke ACC
10 Kentucky SEC
11 Creighton Big East
12 Tennessee SEC
13 Michigan State Big Ten
14 Texas Tech Big 12
15 West Virginia Big 12
16 North Carolina ACC
17 Houston AAC
18 Arizona State Pac-12
19 Texas Big 12
20 Oregon Pac-12
21 Florida State ACC
22 UCLA Pac-12
23 Ohio State Big Ten
24 Rutgers Big Ten
25 Michigan Big Ten
Others Receiving Votes: LSU 146, Memphis 69, Florida 69, Alabama 50, Indiana 48, Louisville 41, Richmond 40, Stanford 14, Providence 9, Saint Louis 8, Auburn 8, San Diego State 6, Connecticut 6, BYU 4, Loyola Chicago 3, Seton Hall 2, UNC Greensboro 1, Northern Iowa 1

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