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College basketball rankings: AP Top 25 predictions – Duke loses Zion, then No. 1 ranking

By Connor Muldowney

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 20: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a play against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 20, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 20: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a play against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 20, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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COLLEGE PARK, MD – FEBRUARY 23: Maryland forward Bruno Fernando (23) pulls down an offensive rebound against Ohio State forward Kyle Young (25) at Xfinity Center. (Photo by Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD – FEBRUARY 23: Maryland forward Bruno Fernando (23) pulls down an offensive rebound against Ohio State forward Kyle Young (25) at Xfinity Center. (Photo by Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post via Getty Images) /

We are getting closer to the end of the regular season and as long as Buffalo keeps winning, it seems like the Bulls will get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, which is rare for a MAC team. The Bulls continued to take care of business with a blowout of Ohio and then another convincing win over Kent State. This team is playing as well as any mid-major in the country right now.

With four games left in the regular season, Kansas State must win three to secure at least a tie for the Big 12 title. The Wildcats have been the surprise of the conference this season and they’re on track to end Kansas’ Big 12 title streak. Week 17 will provide some fireworks as the Wildcats are Jayhawks are gearing up for one heck of a rivalry battle with title implications.

Maryland has been flirting with the bottom of the AP Top 25 for the past couple of months and the Terrapins are going to move up slightly thanks to a couple of losses from both Iowa State and Louisville as well as one from Villanova. The Terrapins beat a tough Iowa team on the road and then took care of Ohio State at home by 10 points. This team may not have the best shot to win a Big Ten title, but surprisingly the Terrapins are just 1.5 games out of first place which is a three-way tie.

No, winning the ACC title is unlikely for Florida State at this point in the season, down three games in the standings with four remaining. The Seminoles had a chance to make a big move with a win at North Carolina, but they were unable to keep it close with the red-hot Tar Heels, losing by 18. The Seminoles did win at Clemson earlier in the week which could wind up being a quality win by the end of the year.

There’s just been a different feeling around this Kansas team after losing a couple of key players and the Jayhawks didn’t look like themselves in a road loss against Texas Tech which may have smashed their Big 12 title hopes. Kansas couldn’t keep up with the team they beat just a few weeks back, losing in Lubbock, 91-62. Bill Self and his team have some soul-searching to do, but this Kansas squad could still be trouble in March.