Virginia jumped three spots to No. 5 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll released Monday, marking the first time this season the Cavaliers are in the nation’s top five.
The rankings jump followed an 86-75 home win over then-No. 12 Villanova, which fell to No. 17 in this week’s poll. The win means Virginia (9-1) has two consecutive wins over top-20 teams — the Cavaliers beat No. 19 West Virginia on Dec. 8 — the previous two contests being the first time since 2002 the Cavaliers played ranked opponents back-to-back in their non-conference slate. Virginia has not lost since Nov.