Duke Stays Put At No. 7

Three observations on this week's Associated Press Top 25:

1. There's a pretty sound consensus that Duke is the seventh-best team in the country. The great majority of voters slotted Duke No. 7 this week, with the Provo Daily Herald's Jason Franchuk and WCMC Raleigh's Tim Hall giving the Blue Devils their highest vote at No. 4. The voter most sour on Duke? Jeffrey Martin of the Houston Chronicle, who voted Duke No. 10 behind Kansas State and, most surprising, Mississippi, which wound up No. 15. Seth Davis and Jeff Goodman both had Duke at No. 8, while Dick Vitale -- yes, even Dickie V has a vote -- ranked the Blue Devils No. 6.

2. Bill Cole is bearish on the Tar Heels. As The Dagger noted yesterday, the Triangle hoops beat writer ranked North Carolina No. 23, just two spots ahead of Western Carolina. Go get 'em, Catamounts!

3. Say hi to the little guys! Best part about monitoring the polls in December is watching the non-powerhouses pop up in the Also Receiving Votes subtext. A smattering of this week's cameos: William & Mary, Richmond and Army. Looking for Cornell, the class of the Ivy League? Well, maybe next week.