Virginia-Florida State in key ACC confrontation Monday

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Coach Tony Bennett’s University of Virginia squad looked every bit the best team in the Atlantic Coast Conference during its 60-48 victory over visiting North Carolina Tar Heels Saturday in Charlottesville.

And, by extending their winning streak to five Monday evening in Tallahassee against No. 16 Florida State, the Cavaliers (who moved into the No. 12 slot in the latest BurlisonOnBasketball Top 25) can continue to meld that perception into reality.

Virginia (15-3), with 11 wins in the 12 games it’s played since its Dec. 26 loss to top-ranked Gonzaga, stays on the road Saturday for a game with Duke (8-8) in Durham.

*Gonzaga is 20-0 with a pair of wins each against the teams tied for second in the West Coast Conference, BYU and Pepperdine, by an average margin of 18.8 points.

*COVID-19 issues resulted in No. 3 Michigan not being able to play scheduled Big Ten games vs. Indiana, Northwestern and Illinois.

But the Wolverines, after falling behind by 14 points in the first half, had shaken off any cobwebs after intermission while coming away with a 67-59 win at Wisconsin that pushed them to 14-1 overall and 9-1 vs. Big Ten comp.

Their game with No. 4 Ohio State (in Columbus) on Feb. 21 should impact seeding for both the conference and NCAA tournaments.

Top 25 (records as of Feb. 14)

1. Gonzaga 20-0

Key wins: Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa, BYU (2) and Pepperdine (2).

2. Baylor 17-0

Key wins: Illinois, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Auburn and Texas.

3. Michigan 14-1

Key wins: Maryland (2), Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin (2) and Purdue.

Loss: Minnesota.

4. Ohio State 17-4

 Key wins: Notre Dame, UCLA, Rutgers (2), Northwestern, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana and Maryland.

Losses: Purdue (2), Northwestern and Minnesota.

5. Oklahoma 13-5

Key wins: TCU (2), West Virginia (2), Kansas, Texas and Alabama.

Losses: Xavier, Texas Tech (2), Baylor and Kansas.

6. Houston 17-2

Key wins: Boise State, Texas Tech, Wichita State, Tulsa and SMU.

Loss: Tulsa and East Carolina.

7. Alabama 17-5

Key wins: Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, Kentucky (2), Arkansas, LSU (2) and Mississippi State.

Losses: Stanford, Clemson, Western Kentucky, Oklahoma and Missouri.

8. Villanova 13-3

Key wins: Arizona State, Texas, Marquette (2), Seton Hall (2), Providence and Georgetown.

Loss: Virginia Tech, St. John’s and Creighton.

9. Texas 13-5

Key wins: Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Kansas and West Virginia.

Loss: Villanova, Texas Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

10. Illinois 14-5

Key wins: Duke, Minnesota, Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern and Iowa.

Losses: Baylor, Missouri, Rutgers, Maryland and Ohio State.

11. Iowa 15-6

Key wins: North Carolina, Purdue, Northwestern (2), Rutgers (2), Maryland, Minnesota and Michigan State.

Losses: Gonzaga, Minnesota, Indiana (2), Illinois and Ohio State.

12. Virginia 15-3

Key wins: Notre Dame (2), Clemson, Georgia Tech (2), Syracuse and North Carolina.

Losses: San Francisco, Gonzaga and Virginia Tech.

13. Missouri 13-5

Key wins: Oregon, Wichita State, Liberty, Illinois, Arkansas, Texas A&M, TCU, Kentucky and Alabama.

Losses: Tennessee, Mississippi State, Auburn, Mississippi and Arkansas.

14. Tennessee 14-5

Key wins: Colorado, Cincinnati, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Kentucky.

Losses: Alabama, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi and LSU>

15. Oklahoma State 13-6

Key wins: Marquette, Wichita State, Texas Tech, Kansas, Arkansas and Texas.

Losses: TCU (2), Texas, West Virginia, Baylor and Kansas.

16. Florida State 11-3

Key wins: Indiana, Florida, Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Louisville, Clemson and Miami.

Losses: University of Central Florida, Clemson and Georgia Tech.

17. Louisville 11-4

Key wins: Western Kentucky, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Duke and Georgia Tech.

Loss: Wisconsin, Miami, Florida State and Clemson.

18. Virginia Tech 14-4

Key wins: Villanova, Clemson, Miami (2), Notre Dame (2), Duke and Virginia.

Losses: Penn State, Louisville, Syracuse and Pittsburgh.

19. Florida 10-5

Key wins: LSU, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Losses: Florida State, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi State and South Carolina.

20. West Virginia 14-6

Key wins: VCU, Western Kentucky, Georgetown, Richmond, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech (2) and Kansas.

Losses: Gonzaga, Kansas, Oklahoma (2), Texas and Florida.

21. Kansas 15-7

Key wins: Kentucky, Creighton, Texas Tech, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TCU (2).

Losses: Gonzaga, West Virginia (2), Oklahoma State, Butler, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

22. Purdue 13-8

Key wins: Liberty, Ohio State (2), Notre Dame, Maryland, Michigan State, Indiana and Purdue.

Losses: Clemson, Miami-Fla., Iowa, Rutgers, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland and Minnesota.

23. Texas Tech 14-6

Key wins: Oklahoma (2), Texas and LSU.

Losses: Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Baylor and West Virginia (2).

24. Creighton 16-5

Key wins: Xavier, Providence, Seton Hall (2), Connecticut (2), Marquette, Georgetown and Villanova.

Losses: Kansas, Marquette, Butler and Providence.

25. Wisconsin 15-7

Key wins: Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, Indiana, Rutgers, Northwestern, Maryland and Penn State.

Losses: Marquette, Maryland, Michigan (2), Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois.