To begin the 2026-27 season, Virginia basketball was ranked No. 9 in the first AP Poll. That's the program's best since the COVID-19 era.
However, it is not impossible to look at the rankings and buy into the idea that the Cavaliers could outperform that No. 9 slot.
This schedule could lead to a stellar resume right away
In their third game of the season, the Cavaliers play No. 12 Arkansas in Washington, D.C., and a win would certainly boost the winner's status in the national rankings. After that game, Virginia plays a slew of disappointing high-majors like Maryland, Marquette and Xavier. No matter what, a high-major win should help this resume. In a perfect world for the Cavaliers, those three teams lose but then go on to excel (elevating the value of Virginia's wins).
The Cavaliers also see No. 4 UConn and No. 23 Kentucky before the heart of ACC play. If Virginia wins two of three against that duo plus the Razorbacks, then it should move up.
Virginia has a championship core
There is a reason that Coach Ryan Odom brought four players to ACC Tipoff as opposed to the traditional two. Virginia is built not on one or two players, but four. Thijs De Ridder, Chance Mallory, Sam Lewis and Johann Grunloh are all genuine contenders for All-ACC teams.
Naturally, most (if not all) teams in the top-10 rankings will have a formidable core. However, the Cavaliers proved they could contend for an ACC title with this core four, and they should only improve in year two.
Others might be a tad overrated
No. 9 is fair (and a great accomplishment). However, it is also fair to look at a few teams ahead of the Cavaliers and have some doubts. Jon Rothstein of 247Sports placed Virginia at No. 7 – ahead of Tennessee and Texas.
Both SEC squads have far more questions than Virginia does.
The new backcourt of Dai Dai Ames and Juke Harris will certainly be fun to watch, but the Volunteers do not have any proven continuity. Coach Rick Barnes retained just two scholarship players from last year's Elite Eight team. The top stars went to the NBA while big man JP Estrella left for Michigan, the team that eliminated Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament.
A similiar story applies to the Longhorns. Texas had to replace a whopping 11 players this offseason. The Cavaliers only replaced five. And while the Longhorns did reel in a stellar class of high school recruits, they have yet to play a game in the regular season. Not all five-star recruits pan out.
Today's best reads
- UVA Earns Top-10 Ranking at Season's Dawn
- UVA's Thijs De Ridder Voted Preseason ACC Player of the Year, Cavaliers Ranked No. 2
- Three Reasons UVA Could Outperform Preseason ACC Ranking
- Is Virginia's basketball KenPom ranking unfair, or a sign of things to come?
- 2026-27 Virginia Basketball Preview: Formidable Forwards
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginia as Three Reasons UVA Will Outperform Its No. 9 Ranking in the Preseason AP Poll.