Virginia unanimous No. 1 in final AP Top 25

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 Cavs 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.”