Virginia unanimous No. 1 in final AP Top 25
The Cavaliers have been at the top of the poll for five straight weeks.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Virginia went from being an unranked team that few expected to contend in the Atlantic Coast Conference to the unanimous No. 1 in the final AP Top 25 of the season.
The Cavaliers (31-2) earned all 65 first-place votes in Monday’s poll to remain on top for the fifth straight week, the past two by unanimous counts. That came after Virginia completed a 20-1 run against Atlantic Coast Conference teams by winning the league tournament, which helped the Cavaliers secure the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“Each year presents different opportunities and challenges,” coach Tony Bennett said after the field was unveiled Sunday. “You’ve heard me say it and it’s what I keep saying is you can’t overcomplicate it.
“You prepare well, you try to improve and then you play to win and I think that’s that best way to go about it from past experiences and all that.”
Virginia was picked in the preseason to finish sixth in the ACC, but climbed to No. 1 exactly one month ago for the first time since the Ralph Sampson era. Now the Cavaliers, who headline the NCAA South bracket, will try to make the Final Four for only the third time and first since 1984.
NEW YORK — UConn finishes No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the fifth straight year.
The Huskies (32-0) enter the NCAA Tournament as the lone unbeaten team and went wire-to-wire as the unanimous top team. They received all 32 votes from the national media panel Monday.
“For this team to finish at the top of the AP poll at this point says a lot about the hard work the players and coaches put in this season,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “It’s an honor to be in this spot, and hopefully we’re still here in a month.”
It’s the 15th time in school history that UConn is No. 1 in final poll of the season. The Huskies remained perfect, winning the American Athletic Conference championship Tuesday night.