Blue Devils fall
The Blue Devils (6-2) suffered their second loss of the season on Friday in the championship of the NIT Season Tip-off at Madison Square Garden, falling 72-66 to Arizona (7-0). The Wildcats were able to overwhelm Duke with their length and tenacity inside and rose to No. 2 in this week’s poll after being ranked fourth last week. With the loss, the Blue Devils fell to No. 10 after being ranked sixth last week, and will look to bounce back in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday at home against No. 22 Michigan (5-2). The Blue Devils' streak of being ranked in the top 10 for more than six years is still alive, but they will look to make significant improvements before conference play.
Jayhawks Stunned
Kansas (6-1) fell to Villanova (7-0) 63-59 in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas on a stunning late 3-pointer by Villanova point guard Ryan Arcidiacano—it was his only shot of the night. With the loss, the Jayhawks fell to No. 6 in this week’s poll after being ranked second last week and also looked shaky in a 67-63 win over UTEP in the tournament’s third-place game. The Wildcats beat Iowa (7-1) 88-83 in overtime in the championship game, causing the Hawkeyes to fall out of the rankings after being ranked 23rd last week and allowing the Wildcats to climb into the top-25—they are now ranked No. 14 after their early-season triumphs.
Tar Heels Shocked Again
North Carolina (4-2) has had a roller-coaster season, to say the least. A week after the Heels’ triumph against then-No. 3 Louisville, Roy Williams’ squad lost 63-59 at UAB and was unable to overcome a 12-point halftime deficit. The Blazers (6-2) got 25 points from junior guard Chad Frazier and took advantage of a huge edge from the charity stripe. The Tar Heels now have one great win and two poor losses—they also lost at home to Belmont—on the season and fell out of the rankings after being ranked sixteenth last week. North Carolina also has showdowns against No. 1 Michigan State (7-0) and No. 3 Kentucky (6-1) looming, meaning that the Tar Heels could easily have four losses before ACC play begins.
What a Difference 12 Days Make
Twelve days after getting embarrassed at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater 101-80, Memphis (5-1) showed a great deal of improvement and beat the team that trounced them, Oklahoma State (7-1), 73-68 in the championship game of the Old Spice Classic. The Cowboys dodged bullets against Purdue and Butler in the quarterfinals and semifinals, but saw their luck run out against the team they dominated less than two weeks ago. With the loss, Oklahoma State fell to No. 9 after being ranked No. 5 last week and Memphis rose five spots and is now No. 16.
Wild Week in Maui
It was an eventful EA Sports Maui Invitational, to say the least. Gonzaga (7-1) was stunned 84-79 by Dayton (6-1) in the tournament's opening round, causing the Bulldogs to fall eight spots in this week's poll—they are now No. 19. Baylor (7-1) put down Dayton in the semifinals 67-66 before falling 74-67 to Syracuse (7-0) in the championship game. Dayton is now No. 25 after a strong early-season tournament, Baylor fell two spots and is now No. 20 and the Orange looked like the class of the ACC at this point in the season and rose four spots to check in at No. 4 this week.
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