Texas, Virginia Make Big Leaps in Men's AP College Hoops Top 25

Kansas, Virginia and Texas are among the teams to jump after a chaotic week of results.

Virginia had the difficult task of playing two ranked teams while grieving a tragedy that shook the Cavaliers and the rest of their campus.

Playing a week after three football players were shot to death on a bus, Virginia won the Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas over No. 16 Illinois after taking down No. 7 Baylor. The wins vaulted the Cavaliers from No. 16 to fifth in the men's AP top 25 released Monday.

“It feels great in the moment, but more so now, we know what truly matters,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “When you have a momentary celebration like this, it enables you to enjoy it and it seems to matter, but in the big picture, it doesn’t.”

A slate of marquee games in the second full week of the college basketball season led to tumult in the AP top 25.

Virginia beat Baylor and then Illinois to win the Main Event :: Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sports

North Carolina remained atop the poll, receiving 47 first-place votes from a 63-person media panel. Houston moved up a spot to No. 2 and had nine first-place votes. No. 3 Kansas had one first-place vote, No. 4 Texas received five and Virginia one.

The Cavaliers (4–0) had the week’s biggest jump, climbing to their highest ranking since reaching No. 4 in 2020–21.

Virginia opted to cancel its game against Northern Iowa last week after Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry were fatally shot after a field trip to Washington.

The Cavaliers wore sweatshirts honoring the victims during warmups before playing Baylor and pulled away in the second half for an 86–79 win. The Cavaliers used another second-half run to beat Illinois 70–61, claiming a therapeutic title to take back with them to Charlottesville.

“Just for the community, I felt like they needed that,” Virginia guard and tournament MVP Reece Beekman said.

Full men's poll as of Nov. 21:

1. North Carolina
2. Houston
3. Kansas
4. Texas
5. Virginia
6. Gonzaga
7. Baylor
8. Duke
9. Arkansas
10. Creighton
11. Indiana
12. Michigan State
13. Auburn
14. Arizona
15. Kentucky
16. Illinois
17. San Diego State
18. Alabama
19. UCLA
20. UConn
21. Texas Tech
22. Tennessee
23. Maryland
24. Purdue
25. Iowa

Others receiving votes: TCU 82, Saint Mary's 59, Ohio State 56, Michigan 24, Xavier 22, Charleston 17, Toledo 16, Miami (FL) 10, Dayton 9, Villanova 7, Arizona State 5, Virginia Tech 5, Saint Louis 5, UNLV 5, Oregon 4, West Virginia 3, Texas A&M 2, Utah State 1, Penn State 1, Mississippi State 1.