There were plenty of changes in the AP top 25 this week after a full week of conference play pitted elite teams against once another. Here are some of the notable changes from this week's poll.
Duke Takes Another Tumble
With its second ACC loss in three games, the Blue Devils saw their stock plummet once again in the rankings. Duke is now ranked No. 23, falling another seven spots in the polls after a 72-59 loss at Clemson. Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood and the rest of the Duke team will be playing to keep any sort of ranking at all this week, which gets off to a grueling start with a 7 p.m. home contest against Virginia Monday night.
Established Programs Take a Hit
Duke was not the only big-name team to fall multiple spots this week. Ohio State entered play last week ranked third with an unblemished record, but after a narrow overtime loss at Michigan State and a home defeat to now-No. 14 Iowa, the Buckeyes found themselves at No. 11, outside the top 10 in the blink of an eye. Louisville was also punished for its home loss to Memphis, dropping six spots to No. 18. Baylor cracked the top 10 last week, but Tuesday's loss at Iowa State dropped the Bears down to No. 12. Meanwhile, the Cylcones suffered their first loss of the season Saturday at Oklahoma but still moved up a spot to No. 8, while non-power conference teams Wichita State (No. 5) and San Diego State (No. 10) continued their ascension.
Familiar Names Return to the Polls
A slew of upsets over the weekend cost several teams their spot in the top 25, including Oregon, Missouri and Gonzaga. Their replacements include a dangerous UCLA team at No. 25, Jamie Dixon's Pittsburgh squad at No. 22 and Doug McDermott and Creighton at No. 20. These programs have been consistently successful over the years, and will need to remain so to hold onto their spot in the polls.
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