Early-season tournaments from Maui to Atlantis and everywhere in between caused quite a shake-up in this week’s AP Poll.
Blue Devils remains on top after PK80 Invitational
After gutting out three come-from-behind wins in Portland, including overcoming a 17-point deficit to beat then-No. 7 Florida Sunday, Duke remained the No. 1 team in the land. Marvin Bagley III had 64 points and 30 rebounds in the Blue Devils' gut-wrenching wins against Texas and Florida, helping overcome sloppy defensive work from a young squad. After struggling early in the season from the charity stripe, Bagley locked in, making 18-of-23 from the line and posting a stat line that only Christian Laetter had since 1992—twice in a row. Even with the loss, Florida moved up a spot to No. 6.
Arizona takes a tumble
Although the Wildcats have become infamous for their late-NCAA tournament collapses, Sean Miller’s team is off to a rough start to the season after taking a winless trip to Atlantis. After entering the tournament ranked No. 2 in the nation, Arizona lost its opener to N.C. State 90-84, before dropping even further in the loser’s bracket with a 66-60 loss to Southern Methodist the next day. In a matchup few could’ve anticipated as the seventh-place game at the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Wildcats were steamrolled 89-64 by a struggling Purdue team as only two Arizona players scored in double-figures. Three consecutive losses dropped the Wildcats out of the poll altogether.
Notre Dame climbs the polls after a week in Maui
Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey showed his ability to coach in any outfit as his team won the Maui Invitational with a thrilling 67-66 victory against Wichita State in the championship game. Led by 25 points and 11 rebounds from senior Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame was able to rally from a 14-point deficit as Brey coached his team from the sidelines in shorts. The Shockers needed a late second-half comeback in order to get past California in the opening matchup and made a few costly miscues late against the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame checks into this week’s AP Poll at No. 5, while the Shockers first loss of the season dropped them to No. 8.
Michigan State conquers the Victory bracket in Portland
On the other side of the PK80 Invitational, Michigan State flexed its muscles with an impressive three-day stretch culminating with a sloppy 63-45 win against North Carolina. Despite committing 24 turnovers and shooting just 40 percent from the floor, the Spartans prevailed behind a strong defensive effort that held the Tar Heels under 25 percent from the floor. With the win, Michigan State, which fell to Duke Nov. 14, rose to No. 3 in this week’s AP Poll with a matchup against the Fighting Irish this week. North Carolina finished 2-1 in Portland and finds itself at No. 13 in the rankings.
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Full rankings below:
1. Duke
2. Kansas
3. Michigan State
4. Villanova
5. Notre Dame
6. Florida
7. Kentucky
8. Wichita State
9. Texas A&M
10. Miami (FL)
11. Cincinnati
12. Minnesota
13. North Carolina
14. Southern California
15. Gonzaga
16. Baylor
17. Louisville
18. Virginia
19. West Virginia
20. Arizona State
21. Xavier
22. Texas Tech
23. TCU
24. Alabama
25. Creighton
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