In the final Associated Press men’s college basketball poll before major conference tournaments get underway this week, the Maryland Terrapins slipped three spots to No. 12 and the Virginia Cavaliers moved up by five to No. 17.
Maryland lost at Rutgers, where the Scarlet Knights were undefeated throughout the regular season, 78-67 last Tuesday before bouncing back with a 83-70 defeat of Michigan on Sunday, which clinched the Terrapins a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.
Still, Maryland (24-7, 14-6 Big Ten) lost three of its last five games and voters took notice, moving traditional blue-bloods Michigan State, Duke and Villanova ahead of the Terrapins in the rankings.
Meanwhile, Virginia (23-7, 15-5 ACC) finished its regular season on an eight-game winning streak that propelled the Cavaliers into a tie for second in the ACC.
A week after beating Duke, the Cavaliers beat Miami and then-No. 10 Louisville to keep that streak alive.
Both programs play in their respective conference tournaments this week before Sunday’s selection show for the NCAA Tournament.
Kansas remained the unanimous No. 1 in the poll. Gonzaga, Dayton, Florida State and Baylor rounded out the top five.
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