Commonwealth Power Rankings, January 7th

VCU and UVA have clearly established themselves as the top two teams in the Commonwealth. Recently losing three games in a row, Richmond’s third place finish comes as a surprise but the alternatives are limited.

January 7, 2013; 10:08 AM • by RVANews staff

VCU and UVA have clearly established themselves as the top two teams in the Commonwealth. Recently losing three games in a row, Richmond’s third place finish comes as a surprise but the alternatives are limited. With all teams entering conference play, Norfolk State has the most to gain while any win for Virginia Tech in the ACC will be a welcome surprise for Erick Green and the Hokies.

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1	VCU 12-3	The Rams have a legitimate chance of joining one or both of the top-25 polls this week. Aaron Williams
2	Virginia 11-3	Now that UVA has bounced back from their surprise loss to ODU with a big win over UNC, have they prepped their freshmen-filled squad enough to withstand the ACC test? Tough times await. Joshua Grice
⬆3	Richmond 10-5	The Spiders are looking like their opening-series self, beating Air Force inside the paint last week, without injured big man Derrick Williams. If they keep playing typical Richmond ball, which consists of a greater-than-average number of shots behind the arch, and continue to improve inside the paint, they might be solid down the stretch–with Williams looking to return just in time for VCU. Joshua Grice
4⬇	George Mason 8-6	Losing two of their last three doesn’t help, but who else is there? There’s a big gap between VCU/UVA and the rest of the state right now. Brian Leung
5	Virginia Tech 9-5	In all seriousness, the Hokies may not win another game this season. Gary Cope
6⬇	William & Mary 7-6	After losing three games in a row, the Tribe’s surprise season is on the brink of falling to pieces. Aaron Williams
7	JMU 7-7	The Dukes beat Old Dominion after eight straight losses to the Monarchs but put up a clunker days later at Georgia State. Mark Selig
8	Norfolk State 7-10	It has been a rough non-conference schedule for the Spartans, but Norfolk State should be a top finisher in the MEAC. Aaron Williams
⬆9	VMI 6-7	The Keydets are the 4th highest scoring team in the nation. Gary Cope
10⬇	Old Dominion 2-13	The Monarchs are one Deshawn Painter (a wavered transfer!) away from being 0-13. Aaron Williams
11⬇	Radford 6-9	Radford’s last victory over a real opponent was November 28th. Wednesday’s game against High Point could be a turning point. Aaron Williams
⬆12	Liberty 4-11	Lost 10 of first 11. Won three of last four. A team on the rise? Uh, no. Gary Cope
13	Longwood 3-12	The Lancers rank 330th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 341st in adjusted defensive efficiency. That’s extremely bad. Aaron Williams
14⬇	Hampton 2-10	“Despite being 2-10, the Pirates are only allowing 62.9PPG. If they could only score some points. Aaron Williams

Contributors: Gary Cope (VT; TechHoops.com), Joshua Grice (UR; Richmond Rowdies), Brian Leung (UVA; StreakingTheLawn.com), Mark Selig (JMU; DukesOfJMU.com), Aaron Williams (VCU; RVANews)

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Related

• Previous rankings; RVANews

January 7, 2013 10:08 AM 2