Virginia moves up in ESPN's August men's basketball rankings

Virginia moved up in ESPN’s early men’s basketball power rankings, rising from No. 14 to No. 13. The update follows St. John’s falling seven spots after its top transfer acquisition suffered a torn Achilles. Behind Virginia in the early top 10 are Louisville (No. 14 at the prior slot in the list order), USC and Arkansas, with the Cardinals listed at No. 12 and Duke, UConn and others hovering at the very top. The article notes Arkansas is one of Virginia’s key out-of-conference opponents, led by coach John Calipari. ESPN’s projection also highlights Virginia’s difficult slate, including exhibition and home-and-away games with Duke and a large share of opponents ranked in its forecasts.