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College basketball rankings: AP Top 25 Poll predictions – Virginia makes case to be No. 1

By Connor Muldowney

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 09: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers calls a play in the first half during a game against the Louisville Cardinals at John Paul Jones Arena on March 9, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 09: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers calls a play in the first half during a game against the Louisville Cardinals at John Paul Jones Arena on March 9, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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EAST LANSING, MI – MARCH 09: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts after defeating the Michigan Wolverines 75-63 at Breslin Center on March 9, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – MARCH 09: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts after defeating the Michigan Wolverines 75-63 at Breslin Center on March 9, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Duke, Tennessee and Michigan all fell in Week 18, but does that mean their No. 1 seed hopes are crushed as well?

The regular season is in the books and we finally have our conference champions set. While the regular season champs don’t matter for smaller conferences, they could have still locked up at-large bids for mid-majors such as Wofford and Buffalo.

As for the larger power conferences, four out of the five look to have serious national title contenders. Which one am I excluding? Well, if you’ve watched college basketball this season, you’d know that the Pac-12 is one of the worst leagues out there and it’ll be lucky to have a team ranked at the end of the season. How many Pac-12 teams will make the tourney? You’ll be able to count that number on one hand.

The ACC has arguably been the best, led by North Carolina, Duke and Virginia. The Tar Heels and Cavaliers shared the conference title after North Carolina beat the Blue Devils for the second time this season on Senior Day in Chapel Hill.

Almost that exact same scenario faced Michigan State as it needed a win over top rival Michigan at home on Senior Day to earn a share of the Big Ten title. The Spartans knocked off the No. 7 Wolverines for the second time on the season and shared a title with Purdue.

The Big 12 is no longer Kansas’ conference as Kansas State and Texas Tech split the regular season crown, ending the Jayhawks’ unbelievable run.

Lastly, the SEC had Kentucky and Tennessee leading the way, but LSU came out of nowhere to lock up the regular season title outright — but off-court issues may have put a damper on that championship.

Here’s what the AP Top 25 should like on Monday afternoon.