SLANTblog's VA Top Five: Mar. 8

Each Monday morning during the men's college basketball regular season, SLANTblog will publish its new Virginia Top Five. For the third consecutive season this feature will attempt to rank what seems at the moment to be the best five teams from among the 14 Division I programs in the Commonwealth. Only games against Division I opponents are counted in won/loss records.

SLANTblog's VA Top Five

1. Richmond (24-7, 13-3 in A-10, No. 24 RPI)
2. ODU (25-8, 2-0 in CAA Tournament, No. 33 RPI)
3. Va. Tech (23-7, 10-6 in ACC, No. 50 RPI)
4. Wm. & Mary (21-9, 2-0 in CAA Tournament, No. 56 RPI)
5. VCU (22-9, 2-1 in CAA Tournament, No. 65 RPI)

Note: This rating feature puts more weight on the results of recent games than it does on games played in Nov. and Dec. Whereas, computerized RPIs are obliged to see all games as equal. Since the last Top Five (Mar. 1): Richmond went 2-0 to stay No. 1; ODU went 2-0 stay No. 2; Va. Tech went 2-o to stay No. 3; Wm. & Mary went 2-0 to stay No. 4; VCU went 2-1 to stay No. 5. Note: Wm. & Mary faces ODU tonight in the CAA Tournament Championship.