With two weeks of play in the books, things are starting to shape up across college basketball, as seen in the latest AP poll:
Duke falls to No. 3
Duke’s two-week reign atop the AP poll came to an end on Monday, as Gonzaga took over the top spot. After toppling San Diego State and No. 8 Auburn, the Blue Devils fell to Gonzaga 89-87 in the championship game of the Maui Invitational on Wenesday night, failing to complete a late comeback bid. Freshman forward Zion Williamson looked surprisingly mortal in the tournament, averaging just 16 points per game on a pedestrian 47.2 percent from the field. Duke will look to get back on track on Tuesday night when they will host Indiana and another freshman sensation in Romeo Langford.
North Carolina slides to the No. 11 spot
North Carolina saw a similar drop to its rival Duke, as a 92-89 loss to a then unranked Texas squad forced the Tar Heels down four places from their prior No. 7 ranking. In order to make a run at the ACC title, more consistent production is needed from Luke Maye. The former first-team All-ACC selection has seen diminished production in terms of points per game, rebounds per game, field-goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
Villanova re-enters the Top 25
After two losses sent Villanova out of the AP poll for the first time in nearly five years, the Wildcats slid back in at No. 23 on Monday. Villanova secured the AdvoCare Invitational crown with victories over Canisius, Oklahoma State and then-No. 14 Florida State. Although head coach Jay Wright is certainly missing the more talented roster from 2017-18, the Wildcats appear to be on the right track.
Complete rankings:
- Gonzaga
- Kansas
- Duke
- Virginia
- Nevada
- Tennessee
- Michigan
- Auburn
- Michigan State
- Kentucky
- North Carolina
- Kansas State
- Virginia Tech
- Iowa
- Florida State
- Ohio State
- Texas
- Oregon
- Purdue
- Texas Tech
- Buffalo
- Wisconsin
- Villanova
- Maryland
- Mississippi State
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