Commonwealth Power Rankings, December 24th

Basketball is as interesting and competitive as ever in the Commonwealth. We have decided to settle the argument of who is Virginia’s best, or maybe stir the pot, with our first ever “Commonwealth Power Ranking.”

December 24, 2012; 11:06 AM • by RVANews staff

Last season, VCU’s Shaka Smart and George Mason’s Paul Hewitt made national headlines for saying the best teams in Virginia were from the CAA. Obviously a lot has changed since then with conference realignment, but basketball is as interesting and competitive as ever in the Commonwealth. We have decided to settle the argument, or maybe stir the pot, with our first ever “Commonwealth Power Ranking.”

The timing of the inaugural poll comes just days after the first Governor’s Holiday Hoops Classic. With Old Dominion upsetting UVA and George Mason upsetting Richmond, the theme of the first poll is parity. Until next week, enjoy.

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1	VCU 9-3	The Rams forced 59 turnovers and hit 22 3-pointers in their two wins this week.
2	Virginia Tech 9-3	Erick Green is the nation’s leading scorer at 25.4PPG.
3	Virginia 9-3	The Cavaliers are 0-3 against the CAA and 9-0 against everyone else.
4	Richmond 9-4	The Spiders went 0-2 this week with losses to Kansas and George Mason.
5	George Mason 7-4	George Mason could be the best basketball team in the CAA.
6	JMU 6-6	The Dukes have won five of six to move to .500 for the first time this season and appear to be coming together just in time for CAA play.
7	William & Mary 7-3	At 18PPG, sophomore Marcus Thornton is one of the best scorers in the Commonwealth.
8	Norfolk State 6-8	The Spartans have lost three in a row, but their tough non-conference schedule is much more demanding than the MEAC.
9	Old Dominion 2-10	Can the Monarchs gain momentum and save Blaine Taylor’s job after upsetting UVA in Richmond?
10	VMI 4-7	VMI doesn’t play defense. Then again, VMI hasn’t played defense in over a decade.
11	Radford 5-7	Former VCU assistant Mike Jones has turned Radford into a steal machine, but it isn’t translating into wins.
12	Hampton 2-8	The Pirates 58.7 points per game ranks 320th nationally.
13	Longwood 3-10	Longwood allows 84.3 points per game and only scores 65.2 points per game.
14	Liberty 2-10	Liberty is 2-10, but they have yet to beat a Division-I opponent.