Va. Top Five for Jan. 29

The week that was: In the two games the Rams won on the road, B.A. Walker scored a combined 48 points. The senior guard went 11-for-16 from three-point land, seven-for-eight from the charity stripe and grabbed 11 rebounds.

There are now 14 Division I basketball programs operating within the Commonwealth of Virginia. They are: George Mason, Hampton, James Madison, Liberty, Longwood, Norfolk State, Old Dominion, Radford, Richmond, Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia Tech and William & Mary. The Bounce’s Virginia Top Five is a feature which names the best of the bunch, in order, for each Monday. (Click here to see last week's Top Five at Richmond.com)

All five of last week’s listed teams played two games during the week. The group went 9-1, the only loss came from a game played between two of the five; VCU defeated Mason in Fairfax on Wednesday. Accordingly, the list has just once change based on the week’s action, as the Patriots’ one-and-one record dropped them to fifth place, behind ODU.

The Bounce's Virginia Top Five for Jan. 29

No 1: Va. Tech (16-5, 6-1 in ACC)
No. 2: VCU (18-3, 10-0 in CAA)
No. 3: UVa. (13-6, 5-2 in ACC)
No. 4: ODU (14-7, 7-3 in CAA)
No. 5: GMU (12-8, 6-4 in CAA)

Added Notes:

• Va. Tech is currently atop the ACC's standings; likewise, VCU is No. 1 in the CAA.
• Va. Tech has climbed to 16th in the new AP Poll; VCU is now among those also receiving votes at No. 30; Virginia comes in at No. 42.
• From Jeff Goodman at Fox Sports are two citations for Va. Top Five teams:
  

“Player of the week: VCU senior guard B.A. Walker and the Rams picked up a couple of huge road wins at George Mason and Drexel. Walker had 24 points in each victory and knocked down a total of 11 3-pointers in the two games. Walker had 19 points and made five 3-pointers after the break against Drexel as VCU won its ninth straight."

“Best win: Virginia went into Clemson and overcame a 16-point deficit to knock off the Tigers 64-63 on Jason Cain's tip-in with 15.5 seconds left. J.R. Reynolds, who has been on a tear of late, led the Cavaliers with 18 points as Dave Leitao's club won its second straight ACC road contest and fourth consecutive game overall."

Next Games for the Five
Jan. 29: Wm. & Mary at VCU
Jan. 29: Georgia St. at ODU
Jan. 29: GMU at UNC-W
Jan. 31: N.C. State at Va. Tech
Feb. 1: Duke at UVa.

Updated at 11:05 a.m. Jan. 29, to fix an error. Thanks, Bob.
Updated since to add more info. Photo: SLANT