Virginia’s fast start has the Cavaliers climbing quickly in the national picture.
After opening the season 3-0 and backing it up with Sunday afternoon’s convincing win over then-No. 12 Arkansas, UVA moved up three spots to No. 6 in Monday afternoon’s AP Poll. It’s the highest the Cavaliers have sat in the rankings since they were also No. 6 on Feb. 20, 2023, the 10th and final week they spent in the top 10 during the 2022-23 season.
The jump was fueled by a loud statement in Washington, D.C., where Virginia handled a talented Arkansas team by 19 points at Capital One Arena. Johann Grunloh was everywhere in that one, finishing with 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting, five blocks, four rebounds and two assists. The Cavaliers also forced 15 Razorback turnovers and leaned on their experience and cohesion to control the game against a very young opponent.
Arkansas dropped to No. 19 in the new poll, while the ACC still has four teams ranked: No. 2 Duke, No.
6 Virginia, No. 10 Louisville and No.
17 Miami. Duke, which has rolled through a pair of home wins over Army and Coastal Carolina, gets its first major test Tuesday against No.
5 Michigan State in the Champions Classic.
At the top, Florida remained No. 1 after beating Miami by 10 and Jacksonville by 29. Illinois held at No. 3 and UConn stayed at No. 4, while Arizona slipped out of the top five after losing to now-No. 9 UCLA.
Virginia also checked in at No. 5 in Bart Torvik’s T-Rankings and No. 9 in KenPom as of Monday morning. The Cavaliers will try to keep the momentum going this week with Bucknell coming to John Paul Jones Arena on Tuesday night, followed by a trip to Maryland for their first true road test against the Terrapins on Friday evening.
In Other News...
Tony Elliott Just Put Virginias Season Pressure Into Focus
After the bye week, Tony Elliott used his media availability to put Virginias season in plain terms. The Cavaliers are still searching for steadier offense, and Elliott said he believes in quarterback Pribula while also noting the work Holstein has done. The message was less about scheme tweaks than about getting the operation cleaner, with Elliott pointing to the need to simplify things and be sharper mentally as the team tries to reset.
The pressure is only growing because the margin for error is so thin now. Elliott also flagged defensive issues on third downs, a problem that has made it harder for Virginia to control games and build momentum. With Virginia Tech still looming and a bowl game still the goal, the bye week became less of a breather than a checkpoint, and Elliott made clear the Cavaliers have to answer some basic questions before the season slips further away. [Read more 🡒]