Virginia falls three spots to No. 18 in latest AP Poll

The Virginia Cavaliers slipped three spots in the latest AP Poll, dropping to No. 18. Virginia struggled with visiting Kent State, needing overtime to come away with the win. This Virginia squad has a lot of new faces — both transfers and first years — which, when coupled with the COVID-affected preseason, has meant some struggles on both ends of the court. The Hoos are up to No. 57 offensively on KenPom, but relinquished its No. 1 defensive spot to Texas Tech (Virginia is now No. 3).

Virginia will have a couple chances to climb in the rankings with No. 4 Michigan State coming to Charlottesville on Wednesday night for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. With the postponement of the William & Mary game, the Hoos will face back-to-back top-10 teams with a neutral site game against No. 9 Villanova on December 19.

Gonzaga and Baylor stayed Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, as their game on Saturday afternoon was postponed as a result of coronavirus issues.

Kentucky and Oregon fell out of the rankings, making room for No. 24 San Diego State and No. 25 Louisville.

The Cards give the ACC six ranked teams this week, tied with the Big Ten for the most in the poll. The Big 12 adds five teams. No. 10 Duke, No. 15 North Carolina, No. 16 Virginia Tech, and No. 20 Florida State join Virginia and Louisville in the rankings.

Here is the full poll: