21. Virginia (10-1)
Many things have changed in Charlottesville since that Virginia team won the national title in 2019. There’s barely anything connecting that team with the current one but new head coach Ryan Odom wants to build another contending program that can be in those national conversations. His first weeks leading the Cavaliers have been a step in that direction and included great wins away from home over Butler, Dayton, and Texas.
Virginia added another such win at home this past weekend, surviving a thriller against Maryland for an 80-72 win. After a slow first half, both teams came alive after the break but the Cavaliers did enough to get the job done and secure their tenth win. Dallin Hall took charge with 20 points and 6 assists while Jacari White put up 15 points off the bench.
Overall, the ACC looks a bit better this season and the resurgence of these Cavaliers is definitely a part of that. Virginia has been impressive in their wins and weren’t exactly awful in that lone loss to Butler. It’s all about the ceiling and what this team can realistically accomplish, though we’ll learn plenty in those hostile ACC road environments. American comes to town as the last nonconference tuneup in just a few days.