Virginia Tech, after a big win over then-#3 Villanova, and Richmond, after a big win over then-#10 Kentucky, are newbies in this week’s Associated Press Top 25.
Tech (3-0) is 16th in the poll, and Richmond (2-0) is 19th.
They join defending national champ Virginia (1-1), which slid to 15th after a 61-60 loss to San Francisco on Friday.
Virginia Tech was picked 11th in the 15-team ACC in the preseason, so the Hokies’ quick ascent is a bit of a surprise.
Tech was last in the national rankings in the final poll of the 2018-2019 season, in which the Hokies were ranked 16th.
Richmond was tabbed the preseason favorite in the rugged Atlantic 10, but even so, the Spiders had been left out of the preseason national rankings.
Monday’s poll is the first time Richmond has been ranked inside the AP Top 25 since March 15, 2010, when the Spiders were ranked 24th in the final poll of the 2009-2010 regular season.
Virginia fell from fourth. Villanova (2-1) slipped from third to 12th, and Kentucky (1-1) dropped 10 spots to 20th.
Gonzaga (2-0) remained in the top spot, with Baylor (2-0) at two, and a trio of Big Ten teams following – Iowa (2-0) at three, Wisconsin (2-0) at four and Illinois (3-0) at five.
From the ACC, Duke (1-0) is sixth, with North Carolina (1-0) at 14, then UVA and Tech at 15 and 16, and Florida State (0-0) at 22.
Story by Chris Graham
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