With another week of college basketball in the books, it's time for the Blue Zone's weekly reflections on the AP Poll:
Win over North Carolina boosts Duke to No. 7
After remaining constant at No. 9 for the last couple of weeks, an important win for the Blue Devils against North Carolina finally helped them rise in the poll. The battle of Tobacco Road saw Duke crush their fierce rivals 87-67 and ensured that head coach Mike Krzyzewski got the last word in his final trip to Chapel Hill. It never seemed to be a close game as Duke made a big statement from the very beginning. Apart from seeing it rise in the AP polls, this much-relished win reinstated Duke at the summit of the ACC.
UCLA drops to No. 12
Perhaps the most shocking result of the week saw UCLA get edged out by Arizona State in a thrilling affair that went to triple overtime, though it initially seemed like it would be David vs. Goliath. This loss to an unranked took the Bruins out of the top-ten for the first time this season, and it also puts them more than a game behind No. 4 Arizona in the Pac-12 standings. UCLA failed to show why it was ranked No. 3 in the country, not taking control of the game at the very start and seeing itself fall behind 34-32 at the break. The halftime team talk did not seem to do much either, as the Bruins failed to seize the game and could only muster a draw after 40 minutes before eventually falling 87-84 in 3OT.
Baylor on the constant slip
It all going downhill for Baylor. Ranked No. 1 about three weeks ago, losses against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Alabama saw it drop to No. 8. Another loss, this time to Kansas, surely had the Baylor faithful anticipate yet another drop. The manner in which the Bears also lost didn't help them when the rankings released this Monday, with Baylor ultimately falling to No. 10. From a similar tier team like Kansas, one might consider Baylor’s 83-59 loss a complete blowout. A lot will have to be done by the Bears in their upcoming Big 12 games to have a glimmer of a hope to regain the No. 1 spot that has long eluded them.
Complete Rankings:
1. Auburn
2. Gonzaga
3. Purdue
4. Arizona
5. Kentucky
6. Houston
7. Duke
8. Kansas
9. Texas Tech
10. Baylor
11. Providence
12. UCLA
13. Illinois
14. Wisconsin
15. Villanova
16. Ohio State
17. Michigan State
18. Marquette
19. Tennessee
20. Texas
21. Southern California
22. Saint Mary's
23. Murray State
24. Connecticut
25. Xavier
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