Virginia began the season 4-2 with no good wins and losses to San Francisco and Gonzaga. As a result, the Cavaliers fell to 23rd in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and completely out of the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1. But they've recovered nicely from that rough start and are now on a six-game winning streak that has the Cavaliers alone atop the ACC standings entering Monday's game with Syracuse.
The most recent win came Saturday.
That's when Virginia overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half and beat Georgia Tech 64-6 to improve to 10-2 overall, 6-0 in the ACC. Kihei Clark got the game-winning bucket with 1:13 left after missing the first nine shots he attempted. So even though his string of six straight double-digit scoring efforts was snapped, the 5-foot-9 guard still finished with a game-high eight assists and played a significant role in Virginia remaining one of just four power-conference teams with perfect league records.
"He's a winner," said Virginia coach Tony Bennett, whose Cavaliers are No. 10 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. "You just see what he's done in big settings."
The next big setting is Monday's game with Syracuse, which enters on a two-game winning streak highlighted by Saturday's 78-60 blowout of Virginia Tech. The Orange still aren't in the Top 25 And 1 in part because they're 9-4 overall, 3-3 in the ACC, and 0-3 in Quadrant 1 games. But they are 36th at KenPom, 40th in the NET, and just on the outside of most projected NCAA Tournament brackets. So this matchup with Virginia will provide the Orange with an opportunity to enhance their resume and get on the right side of the bubble.
Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET
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Monday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Iowa, Virginia and Kansas. The Zags have recorded a national-best six Quadrant 1 wins. | -- | 27-8 |
| 2 |  | Baylor's perfect record is highlighted by victories over Kansas, Texas Tech and Illinois. The Bears have won 12 of their 14 games by double-digits. | -- | 24-11 |
| 3 |  | Villanova is 2-0 with wins over Seton Hall and Providence since returning from a COVID-19 pause. The Wildcats will take an eight-game winning streak into Thursday's game at UConn. | -- | 18-16 |
| 4 |  | Michigan is 8-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit wins over Minnesota, Wisconsin and Purdue. The Wolverines' lone loss came at Minnesota. | -- | 8-24 |
| 5 |  | Texas' most impressive wins are road wins at Kansas and West Virginia. Both of the Longhorns' losses are considered Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 21-13 |
| 6 |  | Houston is 6-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit victories over Texas Tech and SMU. The Cougars will take a six-game winning streak into Thursday's game with Tulane. | -- | 32-5 |
| 7 |  | Iowa's five-game winning streak was snapped Thursday by Indiana. The loss dropped the Hawkeyes' record in the first two quadrants to 7-3. | -- | 19-15 |
| 8 |  | West Virginia played for the first time in two weeks Saturday and beat Kansas State by double-digits. All four of the Mountaineers' losses have come in the first quadrant. | -- | 9-23 |
| 9 |  | Alabama's nine-game winning streak is highlighted by double-digit wins over Florida, Arkansas, LSU and Kentucky. The Crimson Tide is alone atop the SEC standings with a two-game lead in the loss column. | -- | 25-12 |
| 10 |  | Virginia's six-game winning streak features double-digit wins over Clemson and Notre Dame. The Cavaliers are alone atop the ACC standings with a one-game lead over Florida State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 11 |  | Ohio State's win at Wisconsin on Saturday was its fourth Quadrant 1 victory. The Buckeyes have zero losses outside of the first quadrant. | -- | 22-14 |
| 12 |  | Texas Tech's resume is highlighted by a road win at Texas. Three of the Red Raiders' four losses are to teams ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1. | -- | 23-11 |
| 13 |  | Missouri's win at Tennessee on Saturday was its fifth Quadrant 1 victory. The Tigers will take a three-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Auburn. | -- | 8-24 |
| 14 |  | Wisconsin's double-digit loss at home to Ohio State on Saturday dropped the Badgers to 6-3 in the Big Ten. They are 2-2 in Quadrant 1 opportunities. | -- | 22-14 |
| 15 |  | Kansas fell to 6-5 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss at Oklahoma. The Jayhawks will take a three-game losing streak into Thursday's game with TCU. | -- | 23-11 |
| 16 |  | Saint Louis' resume features wins over NC State and LSU. The Billikens have not played since Dec. 23 because of COVID-19 issues inside the program. | -- | 13-20 |
| 17 |  | Florida State is 2-1 in Quadrant 1 opportunities with wins over Louisville and Florida. The Seminoles will take a four-game winning streak into Wednesday's game with Miami. | -- | 17-16 |
| 18 |  | Illinois owns four Quadrant 1 victories -- among them wins over Minnesota and Purdue. Four of the Illini's five losses qualify as Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 29-9 |
| 19 |  | Creighton's win over UConn on Saturday snapped a two-game losing streak. The Bluejays' resume also includes victories over Xavier and Seton Hall. | -- | 25-10 |
| 20 |  | Tennessee is 2-3 in Quadrant 1 opportunities after Saturday's loss to Missouri. The Vols will take a two-game losing streak into Tuesday's game with Mississippi State. | -- | 27-9 |
| 21 |  | Minnesota is 4-4 in Quadrant 1 opportunities (with one loss outside of the first quadrant) after Saturday's loss to Maryland. The Golden Gophers are 1-3 in their past four games. | -- | 19-15 |
| 22 |  | UCLA's seven-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Stanford. The Bruins remain atop the Pac-12 standings with an 8-1 league record. | -- | 16-17 |
| 23 |  | Louisville snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday with a victory over Duke. The Cardinals also own wins over Seton Hall, Virginia Tech and Kentucky. | -- | 8-24 |
| 24 |  | Oklahoma's body of work is highlighted by wins over West Virginia and Kansas. The Sooners will take a three-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Texas. | -- | 20-12 |
| 25 |  | Boise State has won 13 consecutive games since a season-opening loss to Houston. Eleven of those wins have come by double-digits. | -- | 22-11 |
| 26 |  | Purdue's body of work includes three Quadrant 1 wins - among them victories over Ohio State and Indiana. Five of the Boilermakers' six losses are inside the first quadrant. | -- | 34-5 |
