Virginia Rises to #2 in AP College Basketball Poll, Villanova Remains #1

The Virginia Cavaliers moved up one place to #2 in the AP College Basketball Poll, while Villanova (16-1) remained on top. The Cavaliers are 16-1 overall, and are 5-0 in the ACC, the only team with no losses in the conference. Ironically, Virginia’s only loss so far was a 69-61 loss at West Virginia back in December. The Cavaliers took over the #2 spot from the Mountaineers, who lost 72-71 at #8 Texas Tech. Purdue is #3, and has a 13 game winning streak.

Virginia has had success despite scoring just 70.5 points per game, tied with Dartmouth for 275th in Division I basketball. But that’s more than enough when you consider that the Cavaliers have allowed just 52.9 points per game, best in Division I. Outstanding defense has been a hallmark of Coach Tony Bennett’s teams, both at Virginia and at Washington State before that. His father, Dick Bennett, obviously instilled the emphasis on defense in his son. Tony played for his Dad at Wisconsin–Green Bay and coached with him at Wisconsin and at Washington State before assuming head coaching duties there.

Here’s some highlights from the Cavalier’s 68-51 win over North Carolina State on January 14th: