No Shake-ups at the Top
The top five teams in the AP Poll kept their positions from last week, but only barely. No. 1 Arizona sneaked out a 72-70 victory against Michigan, and No. 5 Michigan State was almost upended by Oakland on the road. No. 2 Syracuse was also tested, defeating St. John’s 68-63 on the road. No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Wisconsin held on to their spots in the poll with a pair of convincing wins each.
Duke Now Has Company
The No. 8 Blue Devils stayed pat in the polls, but now share the No. 8 ranking with Villanova. The Wildcats (10-0) boast marquee victories over then-No. 2 Kansas and then-No. 23 Iowa, and were rewarded for their overall body of work, jumping up two spots in the polls after defeating LaSalle 73-52 in their only contest last week.
North Carolina on the Rise—Again
The rollercoaster ride for the No. 14 Tar Heels continues. North Carolina beat then-No. 11 Kentucky at home last week, the Tar Heels’ third victory in as many games against top-15 opponents this season. Any other team with so many marquee wins would easily be up for consideration among the poll’s top five teams, but the losses to Belmont and UAB will likely continue to keep the Tar Heels underrated until conference play begins.
Kansas in Free-Fall
The Jayhawks dropped five spots this week to No. 18, after falling to then-No. 19 Florida on the road last week. Kansas has now lost three of its past five games—all to opponents now firmly cemented in the rankings—and is now the fourth ranked team in the Big 12. Baylor moved up two spots to No. 12 despite playing no games last week, while No. 7 Oklahoma State and No. 17 Iowa State were unaffected in the new poll. The Cowboys, Bears and Cyclones represent a Big 12 filled with parity at the top, which means Kansas will have many more tests to pass as it tries to make it back to the top 10.
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