Ohio State Finishes Regular Season Ranked Atop AP Top 25

The men's college basketball regular season concluded this weekend. The Final AP Top 25 rankings for the regular season were released today. Ohio State finished the regular season by retaking the No. 1 ranking. The Buckeyes now head into this week's Big Ten tournament with a figurative target on their backs. Somehow however, we don't expect that to be a problem for Coach Thad Matta's team. We'd be surprised if they don't take home the Big Ten tournament title.

Kansas is ranked No. 2. Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Duke round out the top five.

Drive and Dish doesn't expect to see many huge upsets involving top 10 teams in the conference tournaments this week, but we wouldn't be terribly surprised if a highly-seeded team or two gets upset in the Big East Tournament. Pitt and Notre Dame are the obvious favorites, but teams like Louisville, Connecticut, St. John's and West Virginia could be dangerous.

Ohio State is easily the class of the Big Ten. Purdue might be able to give them a scare in the Big Ten tournament, but OSU is the clear favorite.

Kansas is the obvious favorite in the Big 12 tournament. But Texas and Kansas State have the horses to deny Coach Bill Self's Jayhawks access to their presumed throne. It should be noted, however, that Drive and Dish always advises against picking Texas in the post season. We've said it again and again over the years, but Coach Rick Barnes' teams just aren't put together to win championships, despite their ever-impressive scores on the proverbial "eye test."

Finally, we expect North Carolina to beat Duke in the ACC tournament final. North Carolina is a young team that's surging at the right time. They enter the conference tournament with perhaps more momentum than any other team in the country. Although they struggled quite a bit early in the season, Coach Roy Williams' Tar Heels should be seen as a strong Final Four contender again this year.

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Ohio State (52)	29-2	1,612
2	Kansas (13)	29-2	1,569
3	Pittsburgh	27-4	1,493
4	Notre Dame	25-5	1,416
5	Duke	27-4	1,265
6	North Carolina	24-6	1,209
7	San Diego State	29-2	1,197
8	Brigham Young	28-3	1,187
9	Purdue	25-6	1,108
10	Texas	25-6	1,081
11	Syracuse	25-6	984
12	Florida	24-6	931
13	Wisconsin	23-7	870
14	Louisville	23-8	794
15	Kentucky	22-8	639
16	Arizona	25-6	562
17	St. John's	20-10	462
18	Xavier	24-6	437
19	Kansas State	22-9	345
20	West Virginia	20-10	294
21	Connecticut	21-9	281
22	Georgetown	21-9	244
23	Utah State	28-3	234
24	Temple	24-6	209
25	Cincinnati	24-7	202

• Others receiving votes: Texas A&M 177, Vanderbilt 101, Villanova 64, UCLA 40, UNLV 29, Missouri 22, George Mason 12, Old Dominion 11, Alabama 10, Belmont 9, Butler 9, Gonzaga 6, Saint Mary's 4, Virginia Commonwealth 3, UAB 2, Harvard 1

• Dropped from rankings: Villanova 19, Vanderbilt 21, Missouri 22, Texas A&M 24

Only One ACC Team In the Top 25

For the first time in over thirty years, only one team from the Atlantic Coast Conference is ranked in college basketball's AP Top 25. In the rankings that were released today (rankings are released every Monday during basketball season), fifth-ranked Duke is the lone representative of the vaunted ACC.

One year after winning its second NCAA National Championship in five years, North Carolina (14-12 overall, 3-8 ACC) has endured its worst season since Roy Williams became head coach (Williams succeeded Matt Doherty after Doherty's teams finished 8-20 in the 2001-02 season, and 19-16 in the 2002-03 season respectively). Wake Forest and Clemson began the season with much fanfare from the national media, but those teams have failed to live up to the lofty expectations that were placed upon them (which comes as no surprise to the Drive and Dish staff). Georgia Tech looked very good early in ACC play, and they had an impressive win over Duke in January. But they've fallen off as of late.

So Duke stands as the only ranked team from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The ACC has not suffered for lack of media attention over the last ten to fifteen years. But despite North Carolina's recent 5 year mini dynasty in college basketball, the ACC has been in a quiet downturn in the last few years.

As for today's updated AP Top 25, aside from the aforementioned No. 5 Duke from the ACC, the rest of the top 10 is made up of three teams from the Big East (No. 4 Syracuse, No. 7 Villanova and No. 8 West Virginia), two teams from the Big Twelve (No. 1 Kansas and No. 6 Kansas State), two teams from the always maligned Big Ten (No. 3 Purdue and No. 9 Ohio State), one team from the SEC (No. 2 Kentucky) and one team from the non-BCS Mountain West conference (No. 10 New Mexico).

AP Top 25:

Ranking	Record	Pts	Pvs
1. Kansas (61)	26-1	1,621	1
2. Kentucky (4)	26-1	1,559	2
3. Purdue	23-3	1,470	4
4. Syracuse	25-2	1,455	5
5. Duke	23-4	1,323	6
6. Kansas St.	22-4	1,302	7
7. Villanova	22-4	1,189	3
8. West Virginia	21-5	1,183	8
9. Ohio St.	21-7	1,097	9
10. New Mexico	25-3	997	12
11. Georgetown	18-7	846	10
12. Pittsburgh	21-6	806	19
13. BYU	25-3	795	16
14. Michigan St.	21-7	794	11
15. Butler	25-4	673	18
16. Vanderbilt	20-6	599	17
17. Wisconsin	20-7	528	14
18. Gonzaga	22-5	506	13
19. Tennessee	20-6	480	20
20. Temple	22-5	452	21
21. Texas	21-6	445	15
22. Texas A&M	19-7	225	24
23. Richmond	22-6	202	25
24. Baylor	20-6	147	22
25. N. Iowa	24-3	128	--

Others receiving votes: UTEP 86, Virginia Tech 76, Maryland 57, Missouri 17, Illinois 14, Xavier 13, Marquette 11, Louisville 9, Mississippi St. 5, Oklahoma St. 4, Utah St. 4, Cornell 2, Murray St. 2, Wake Forest 2, Clemson 1.

UConn is Back at No. 1

Connecticut is the No. 1 team in America again. The Huskies have re-taken the top spot in the AP Top 25. North Carolina is No. 2.

Drive and Dish thinks Connecticut and North Carolina are the best teams in the country. We wouldn't be surprised to see them play each other in the National Championship game (although the loss of Jerome Dyson could prevent the Huskies from getting that far).

Pittsburgh is ranked No. 3. Oklahoma and Memphis round out the top five.

AP Top 25 (3-2-09):

Rank	Team	Record	Votes	Previous
1	Connecticut (67)	27-2	1792	2
2	North Carolina (3)	25-3	1678	4
3	Pittsburgh (1)	26-3	1612	1
4	Oklahoma	26-3	1576	3
5	Memphis (1)	26-3	1543	5
6	Louisville	23-5	1462	6
7	Duke	24-5	1340	7
8	Michigan State	23-5	1302	9
9	Kansas	24-5	1190	15
10	Wake Forest	22-5	1158	13
11	Villanova	23-6	913	10
12	LSU	25-4	894	18
13	Marquette	23-6	860	8
14	Gonzaga	23-5	837	17
15	Missouri	24-5	795	11
16	Washington	22-7	704	21
17	Xavier	23-5	629	19
18	Clemson	22-6	564	12
19	Purdue	22-7	545	16
20	UCLA	22-7	497	22
21	Arizona State	21-7	347	14
22	Butler	25-4	302	24
23	Illinois	23-7	287	20
24	Florida State	22-7	272	23
25	Syracuse	21-8	99	28
Others Receiving Votes: Creighton 52, Brigham Young 41, Utah 22, Saint Mary's 13, Dayton 11, West Virginia 10, Davidson 9, Texas 9, California 8, South Carolina 7, Providence 7, Washington State 4, Arizona 3, Oklahoma State 2, Boston College 1, Rhode Island 1, American University 1, Utah State 1

UConn's No. 1 Streak Reaches Three Weeks

For the third straight week, Connecticut is the No. 1 ranked team in America. Thus far, the Huskies are the only team to keep the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 for more than one week in calendar year 2009. Oklahoma remains at No. 2 and North Carolina remains at No. 3.

Pittsburgh and Memphis round out the top 5.

AP Top 25 (Feb. 16, 2009):

		Record	Votes
1	Connecticut (66)	24-2	1794
2	Oklahoma (4)	25-1	1709
3	North Carolina (2)	23-2	1676
4	Pittsburgh	24-2	1589
5	Memphis	22-3	1465
6	Michigan State	20-4	1443
7	Louisville	19-5	1280
8	Wake Forest	19-4	1217
9	Duke	20-5	1048
10	Marquette	21-4	1045
11	Missouri	22-4	1041
12	Villanova	20-5	983
13	Clemson	20-4	939
14	Arizona State	20-5	830
15	Kansas	20-5	651
16	Xavier	21-4	646
17	Gonzaga	19-5	599
18	Illinois	21-5	589
19	Purdue	19-6	582
20	UCLA	19-6	473
21	Butler	22-3	373
22	Washington	19-6	334
23	LSU	21-4	294
24	Syracuse	19-7	207
25	Dayton	23-3	194
Others Receiving Votes: Texas 83, Utah State 72, Ohio State 45, Arizona 38, California 34, Utah 34, West Virginia 26, Florida State 18, Davidson 15, South Carolina 10, Minnesota 6, Boston College 5, Kentucky 5, Miami (FL) 2, Tennessee 2, Wisconsin 2, Brigham Young 1, Robert Morris 1

Two Weeks and Counting: UConn Still No. 1 in AP Top 25

For the second straight week, the University of Connecticut Huskies are the No. 1 men's college basketball team in the nation. Until now, no team has held the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 for more than one week since the start of calendar year 2009.

What's more, Oklahoma has held on to its No. 2 ranking for the second week in a row. And although most of the elite teams have gone through ups and downs thus far in 2009, the newfound stability at the top of the AP Top 25 may be an indicator of things to come. With North Carolina ranked No. 3, Pittsburgh ranked No. 4 and Louisville ranked No. 5, it's beginning to look like the cream of college basketball is rising to the top.

AP Top 25 (Feb. 09, 2009): Team Ranking Votes

1. Connecticut (67) 22-1 1,795

2. Oklahoma (3) 23-1 1,710

3. North Carolina (2) 21-2 1,672

4. Pittsburgh 21-2 1,583

5. Louisville 18-4 1,423

6. Duke 20-3 1,350

7. Wake Forest 18-3 1,242

8. Memphis 20-3 1,237

9. Michigan State 19-4 1,214

10. Marquette 20-3 1,137

11. UCLA 19-4 1,131

12. Clemson 19-3 1,097

13. Villanova 19-4 989

14. Xavier 20-3 893

15. Butler 21-2 762

16. Kansas 19-4 751

17. Missouri 20-4 395

18. Arizona State 18-5 389

19. Gonzaga 17-5 361

20. Purdue 17-6 353

21. Utah State 23-1 317

22. Illinois 19-5 303

23. Syracuse 18-6 280

24. Ohio State 17-5 216

25. Florida State 18-5 182 Others Receiving Votes LSU 167, Washington 135, Texas 106, Florida 66, Minnesota 43, Dayton 31, California 16, Kansas State 8, West Virginia 8, South Carolina 7, Davidson 7, Miami (FL) 7, Utah 4, Arizona 4, San Diego State 2, Siena 2, Northeastern 2, Robert Morris 1, Boston College 1, Green Bay 1. Dropped From Rankings Texas 16, Minnesota 19, Washington 22.

Connecticut = No. 1 (Feb. 2)

Connecticut is the new No. 1 team in America. The Huskies replace Duke as the highest ranked team in the AP Top 25.

Last week, Duke replaced Wake Forest as the No. 1 ranked team in the AP poll. But Wake Forest beat Duke 70-68 on Wednesday, before falling to Georgia Tech on Saturday.

Oklahoma takes over the No. 2 position in this week's poll, and North Carolina moves up to No. 3. Duke and Louisville round out the top 5.

Drive and Dish has been skeptical of the claim that Wake Forest is a legitimate Final Four contender. After the Demon Deacons beat Duke, we adopted the position that Wake Forest has the requisite talent and the size needed to contend for a Final Four, but that they may not have enough maturity/experience to get them there this year. And we've also stated that North Carolina is likely to make a return trip to the Final Four, but that they're unlikely to win the National Championship. But make no mistake, the UConn Huskies are a legitimate Final Four and National Championship contender.

AP Top 25

1. Connecticut (64) 20-1 1,792

2. Oklahoma (5) 21-1 1,691

3. North Carolina (3) 19-2 1,639

4. Duke 19-2 1,563

5. Louisville 17-3 1,464

6. Pittsburgh 19-2 1,427

7. Wake Forest 17-2 1,409

8. Marquette 19-2 1,358

9. Xavier 19-2 1,176

10. Clemson 18-2 1,077

11. Butler 19-1 1,051

12. Purdue 17-4 961

13. Michigan State 17-4 876

14. Memphis 18-3 798

15. UCLA 17-4 787

16. Texas 15-5 724

17. Villanova 17-4 698

18. Gonzaga 16-4 632

19. Minnesota 18-3 426

20. Syracuse 17-5 415

21. Kansas 17-4 316

22. Washington 16-5 216

23. Illinois 18-4 198

24. Arizona State 16-5 146

25. Utah State 21-1 99

Others Receiving Votes Dayton 95, Davidson 85, Missouri 39, Penn State 37, LSU 36, West Virginia 33, South Carolina 33, UNLV 29, Florida 24, Providence 14, USC 8, Notre Dame 7, Siena 4, Kansas State 4, Northeastern 3, Ohio State 3, Kentucky 2, Arizona 2, Florida State 1, Northern Iowa 1, Virginia Military 1.

Duke Claims No. 1 (January 26, 2009)

Duke is the new No. 1 team in America. The Blue Devils sit atop the AP Men's College Basketball Top 25 for the first time since the 2005/06 season. Duke's climb to No. 1 comes as no surprise: last week's No. 1 team, Wake Forest, lost its first game of the season to unranked Virginia Tech on Wednesday. Duke beat North Carolina State and Maryland convincingly during the week, which practically guaranteed them a promotion from last week's No. 2 ranking.

Wake Forest's stay atop the polls was short-lived: last week, the Demon Deacons captured the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2004. But thee days after taking over the top position in the AP poll, Wake fell at home to the unheralded Virginia Tech Hokies.

The Big East leads all conferences with four teams in the top 10: Connecticut is No. 2, Pittsburgh is No. 3 , Louisville is No. 7 and Marquette is No. 8. The Atlantic Coast Conference has three teams in the top ten, with the aforementioned No. 1 Duke, No. 5 North Carolina and No. 6 Wake Forest.

Only three non Big East or ACC teams appear in the top ten (No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 9 Michigan State and No. 10 Xavier).

AP Top 25:

1. Duke (62) 18-1 1,789

2. Connecticut (6) 18-1 1,694

3. Pittsburgh (3) 18-1 1,647

4. Oklahoma (1) 19-1 1,539

5. North Carolina 17-2 1,529

6. Wake Forest 16-1 1,509

7. Louisville 15-3 1,351

8. Marquette 17-2 1,209

9. Michigan State 16-3 1,136

10. Xavier 17-2 1,084

11. Texas 14-4 1,017

12. Clemson 17-2 929

13. Butler 18-1 916

14. Arizona State 16-3 834

15. Syracuse 17-4 808

16. Purdue 15-4 724

17. UCLA 15-4 544

18. Memphis 16-3 530

19. Illinois 17-3 401

20. Gonzaga 14-4 381

21. Villanova 15-4 276

22. Saint Mary's 18-1 247

23. Washington 15-4 218

24. Kentucky 16-4 217

25. Georgetown 12-6 189

Others Receiving Votes Notre Dame 154, Minnesota 138, Kansas 84, Florida 65, Missouri 52, Virginia Tech 37, Baylor 34, West Virginia 32, Davidson 27, Utah State 23, Dayton 14, California 13, UNLV 4, Florida State 3, Ohio State 1, Virginia Commonwealth 1. Dropped From Rankings Notre Dame 19, Minnesota 21, Florida 24.

Wake Forest Captures No. 1

Unbeaten Wake Forest has taken over the No. 1 ranking in the AP college basketball Top 25. The Demon Deacons (16-0) have replaced previously unbeaten Pittsburgh, which fell to Louisville on Saturday.

Three Atlantic Coast Conference Teams appear in the top 5, with Duke ranked No. 2 and North Carolina ranked No. 5. Big East rivals Connecticut and the aforementioned Pittsburgh occupy the No. 3 and No. 4 positions.

Wake Forest last owned the top spot in the polls in November 2004. The 2004/05 Demon Deacons held the No. 1 ranking for two weeks, but lost their place atop the polls to Illinois after the Illini dismantled them in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

How fitting then, that on the very day that Wake Forest makes its return to the top of the AP Top 25, Illinois returns to the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2006. With Illinois now ranked No. 25, The Demon Deacons and the Illini bookend the Top 25.

Both Wake Forest and Illinois suffered through two down years in 2007 and 2008, so it's especially sweet both for Wake to sit atop the polls, and for Illinois to be back on the college basketball map. Drive and Dish friends Toki Wartooth (Joe) of Paint the Town Orange and Izzy of Dishing Dimes celebrated their schools' rankings in this week's Top 25 by publishing new blog posts (Toki Wartooth [Joe] and Izzy are members of the class of 2009 at Illinois and Wake Forest, respectively).

Also, after having picked Clemson to beat Wake Forest, Drive and Dish friend The ACC & SEC Blog makes amends by rating each ACC team and opining that the ACC is probably as good as it has been in ten years.

AP Top 25 (1-19-09)

1. Wake Forest (68) 16-0 1,793

2. Duke (4) 16-1 1,721

3. Connecticut 16-1 1,590

4. Pittsburgh 16-1 1,569

5. North Carolina 16-2 1,510

6. Oklahoma 17-1 1,498

7. Michigan State 15-2 1,394

8. Syracuse 17-2 1,146

9. Louisville 13-3 1,090

10. Clemson 16-1 1,043

11. Marquette 16-2 1,003

12. Georgetown 12-4 979

13. UCLA 14-3 897

14. Texas 13-4 858

15. Xavier 15-2 848

16. Butler 16-1 726

17. Arizona State 15-3 671

18. Purdue 14-4 553

19. Notre Dame 12-5 469

20. Villanova 14-3 353

21. Minnesota 16-2 298

22. Memphis 14-3 208

23. Gonzaga 12-4 201

24. Florida 16-2 175

25. Illinois 15-3 159

Others Receiving Votes Baylor 148, Saint Mary's 137, Kentucky 105, California 82, Florida State 34, Kansas 23, Ohio State 20, Missouri 14, Davidson 14, Tennessee 14, Utah State 12, Washington 12, West Virginia 8, Miami (FL) 8, Arkansas 6, Michigan 5, Dayton 4, George Mason 1, LSU 1. Dropped From Rankings Baylor 21, California 22, Tennessee 24, Michigan 25.

North Carolina Remains #1 in AP Top 25 (3/10/08)

After Saturday's resounding road win at Duke, North Carolina remains the #1 team in the AP Top 25.

Memphis retains its #2 ranking. UCLA is #3, Tennessee is #4 and Kansas is #5.

AP Top 25

1. North Carolina (52) 29-2 1,776
2. Memphis (13) 30-1 1,693
3. UCLA (5) 28-3 1,646
4. Tennessee (2) 28-3 1,626
5. Kansas 28-3 1,517
6. Texas 26-5 1,360
7. Duke 26-4 1,316
8. Wisconsin 26-4 1,309
9. Georgetown 25-4 1,300
10. Xavier 26-5 1,043
11. Stanford 24-6 1,036
12. Butler 28-3 976
13. Louisville 24-7 959
14. Notre Dame 24-6 802
15. Connecticut 24-7 767
16. Drake 28-4 672
17. Purdue 24-7 646
18. Vanderbilt 25-6 565
19. Michigan State 24-7 497
20. Gonzaga 25-6 474
21. Washington State 23-7 375
22. Indiana 25-6 357
23. Davidson 25-6 181
24. Brigham Young 25-6 154
25. Marquette 22-8 128

Others Receiving Votes
Clemson 64, USC 57, South Alabama 43, Mississippi State 21, Kent State 11, Baylor 7, Pittsburgh 6, Oklahoma 4, Kentucky 3, Cornell 3, West Virginia 3, Western Kentucky 1, Kansas State 1, Saint Mary's 1.

North Carolina #1 in AP Top 25 (3/3/08)

North Carolina is the new #1 team in America. Following Tennessee's loss at Vanderbilt, the Tar Heels moved up to #1 in the AP Top 25 poll that was released today.

Memphis is #2 and UCLA is #3. Tennessee fell to #4 and Kansas is #5.

NCAA Division I: AP Top 25

RANK TEAM RECORD PTS PVS

1. North Carolina (38) 27-2 1,745 3
Last Week: Def. Boston College 90-80 (3/1)
This Week: 3/4 vs. Florida State (17-12), 3/8 at Duke (25-3)
2. Memphis (21) 28-1 1,706 2
Last Week: Def. Tulsa 82-67 (2/27), Def. Southern Miss 76-67 (3/1)
This Week: 3/5 at Southern Methodist (9-18), 3/8 vs. UAB (21-8)
3. UCLA (12) 26-3 1,664 4
Last Week: Def. Arizona State 70-49 (2/28), Def. Arizona 68-66 (3/2)
This Week: 3/6 vs. Stanford (24-4), 3/8 vs. California (15-12)
4. Tennessee (1) 26-3 1,625 1
Last Week: Lost to Vanderbilt 72-69 (2/26), Def. Kentucky 63-60 (3/2)
This Week: 3/5 at Florida (21-8), 3/9 vs. South Carolina (13-15)
5. Kansas 26-3 1,459 6
Last Week: Def. Iowa State 75-64 (2/27), Def. Kansas State 88-74 (3/1)
This Week: 3/3 vs. Texas Tech (16-12), 3/8 at Texas A&M (21-8)
6. Duke 25-3 1,403 7
Last Week: Def. Georgia Tech 71-58 (2/27), Def. North Carolina State 87-86
This Week: 3/5 at Virginia (13-13), 3/8 vs. North Carolina (27-2)
7. Stanford 24-4 1,317 8
Last Week: Def. Washington 82-79 (2/28), Def. Washington State 60-53 (3/1)
This Week: 3/6 at UCLA (26-3), 3/8 at USC (18-10)
8. Xavier 25-4 1,232 9
Last Week: Def. George Washington 66-56 (3/1)
This Week: 3/6 at Saint Joseph's (17-10), 3/8 vs. Richmond (15-12)
9. Texas 24-5 1,227 5
Last Week: Def. Kansas State 74-65 (2/25), Lost to Texas Tech 83-80 (3/1)
This Week: 3/4 vs. Nebraska (17-10), 3/9 vs. Oklahoma State (16-12)
10. Wisconsin 24-4 1,199 10
Last Week: Def. Michigan State 57-42 (2/28)
This Week: 3/5 vs. Penn State (14-14), 3/8 at Northwestern (8-19)
11. Georgetown 24-4 1,147 11
Last Week: Def. St. John's 64-52 (2/27), Def. Marquette 70-68 (3/1)
This Week: 3/8 vs. Louisville (24-6)
12. Louisville 24-6 1,010 13
Last Week: Def. Notre Dame 90-85 (2/28), Def. Villanova 68-54 (3/2)
This Week: 3/8 at Georgetown (24-4)
13. Connecticut 23-6 848 15
Last Week: Def. Rutgers 79-61 (2/26), Def. West Virginia 79-71 (3/1)
This Week: 3/6 at Providence (14-14), 3/8 vs. Cincinnati (13-15)
14. Butler 27-3 813 14
Last Week: Def. Wright State 66-61 (2/28), Def. Detroit 65-31 (3/1)
This Week: No Games Scheduled
15. Purdue 23-6 779 16
Last Week: Def. Minnesota 65-53 (2/27), Def. Northwestern 68-43 (3/1)
This Week: 3/4 at Ohio State (17-12), 3/9 at Michigan (9-20)
16. Vanderbilt 24-5 658 18
Last Week: Def. Tennessee 72-69 (2/26), Lost to Arkansas 78-73 (3/1)
This Week: 3/5 vs. Mississippi State (20-8), 3/8 at Alabama (15-14)
17. Michigan State 23-6 657 19
Last Week: Lost to Wisconsin 57-42 (2/28), Def. Indiana 103-74 (3/2)
This Week: 3/6 at Illinois (12-17), 3/9 at Ohio State (17-12)
18. Indiana 24-5 646 12
Last Week: Def. Ohio State 72-69 (2/26), Lost to Michigan State 103-74 (3/2)
This Week: 3/5 vs. Minnesota (18-10), 3/9 at Penn State (14-14)
19. Notre Dame 22-6 578 17
Last Week: Lost to Louisville 90-85 (2/28), Def. DePaul 98-91 (3/2)
This Week: 3/5 vs. St. John's (11-17), 3/8 at South Florida (12-17)
20. Drake 25-4 346 20
Last Week: Lost to Missouri State 86-83 (2/26), Def. Wichita State 73-63 (3/1)
This Week: No Games Scheduled
21. Marquette 21-7 334 21
Last Week: Def. Villanova 85-75 (2/25), Lost to Georgetown 70-68 (3/1)
This Week: 3/4 vs. Florida Gulf Coast (10-20), 3/8 at Syracuse (17-12)
22. Gonzaga 23-6 323 24
Last Week: Def. Portland 73-51 (2/25), Def. Saint Mary's 88-76 (3/1)
This Week: 3/3 vs. Santa Clara (14-14)
23. Washington State 22-7 245 22
Last Week: Def. California 70-49 (2/28), Lost to Stanford 60-53 (3/1)
This Week: 3/8 vs. Washington (16-14)
24. Clemson 21-7 124 NR
Last Week: Def. Miami (FL) 79-69 (2/27), Def. Maryland 73-70 (3/2)
This Week: 3/6 at Georgia Tech (12-15), 3/9 vs. Virginia Tech (17-11)
25. Davidson 23-6 74 NR
Last Week: Def. Appalachian State 68-55 (2/27), Def. Georgia Southern 89-69
(3/1) This Week: No Games Scheduled


Others Receiving Votes
Brigham Young 63, Mississippi State 34, South Alabama 27, Pittsburgh 25, Saint Mary's 22, Kent State 19, Miami (FL) 13, Baylor 7, UAB 7, USC 7, Arizona State 4, Virginia Commonwealth 3, Western Kentucky 3, Texas A&M 3, Cornell 2, Robert Morris 1, Stephen F. Austin 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Kent State 23, Saint Mary's 25.

Tennessee #1 in AP Top 25

The AP Top 25 for the week of February 25, 2008, was released today.

Tennessee is the new #1 college basketball team in the nation. On Saturday, the Volunteers handed Memphis their first loss of the season. Today, they replace Memphis as the #1 team in the land.

Memphis fall to #2. North Carolina and UCLA occupy the #3 and #4 positions. And Texas moves up into the top five for the first time this year.

NCAA Division I: AP Top 25

RANK TEAM RECORD PTS PVS
1. Tennessee (69) 25-2 1,797 2
Last Week: Def. Auburn 89-70 (2/20), Def. Memphis 66-62 (2/23)
This Week: 2/26 at Vanderbilt (23-4), 3/2 vs. Kentucky (15-10)
2. Memphis 26-1 1,682 1
Last Week: Def. Tulane 97-71 (2/20), Lost to Tennessee 66-62 (2/23)
This Week: 2/27 vs. Tulsa (15-10), 3/1 at Southern Miss (15-11)
3. North Carolina (2) 26-2 1,668 3
Last Week: Def. North Carolina State 84-70 (2/20), Def. Wake Forest 89-73 (2/24)
This Week: 3/1 at Boston College (13-12)
4. UCLA (1) 24-3 1,593 6
Last Week: Def. Oregon State 84-49 (2/21), Def. Oregon 75-65 (2/23)
This Week: 2/28 at Arizona State (17-9), 3/2 at Arizona (17-10)
5. Texas 23-4 1,478 7
Last Week: Def. Texas A&M 77-50 (2/18), Def. Oklahoma 62-45 (2/23)
This Week: 2/25 at Kansas State (18-8), 3/1 at Texas Tech (15-11)
6. Kansas 24-3 1,368 4
Last Week: Lost to Oklahoma State 61-60 (2/23)
This Week: 2/27 at Iowa State (14-13), 3/1 vs. Kansas State (18-8)
7. Duke 23-3 1,344 5
Last Week: Lost to Miami (FL) 96-95 (2/20), Def. St. John's 86-56 (2/23)
This Week: 2/27 vs. Georgia Tech (11-14), 3/1 at North Carolina State (15-12)
8. Stanford 22-4 1,264 9
Last Week: Def. California 79-69 (2/24)
This Week: 2/28 vs. Washington (15-13), 3/1 vs. Washington State (21-6)
9. Xavier 24-4 1,228 10
Last Week: Def. Rhode Island 81-77 (2/18), Def. Duquesne 75-48 (2/21), Def. Dayton 57-51 (2/24)
This Week: 3/1 vs. George Washington (8-14)
10. Wisconsin 23-4 1,175 11
Last Week: Def. Illinois 71-57 (2/20), Def. Ohio State 58-53 (2/24)
This Week: 2/28 vs. Michigan State (22-5)
11. Georgetown 22-4 1,101 12
Last Week: Def. Providence 68-58 (2/18), Def. Cincinnati 73-53 (2/23)
This Week: 2/27 vs. St. John's (10-16), 3/1 at Marquette (20-6)
12. Indiana 23-4 969 15
Last Week: Def. Purdue 77-68 (2/19), Def. Northwestern 85-82 (2/23)
This Week: 2/26 vs. Ohio State (17-10), 3/2 at Michigan State (22-5)
13. Louisville 22-6 828 18
Last Week: Def. Syracuse 61-50 (2/18), Def. Pittsburgh 75-73 (2/24)
This Week: 2/28 vs. Notre Dame (21-5), 3/2 vs. Villanova (17-9)
14. Butler 25-3 752 8
Last Week: Def. Illinois-Chicago 51-46 (2/20), Lost to Drake 71-64 (2/23)
This Week: 2/28 vs. Wright State (20-7), 3/1 vs. Detroit (7-20)
15. Connecticut 21-6 688 13
Last Week: Def. DePaul 65-60 (2/19), Lost to Villanova 67-65 (2/23)
This Week: 2/26 at Rutgers (10-18), 3/1 vs. West Virginia (19-8)
16. Purdue 21-6 655 14
Last Week: Lost to Indiana 77-68 (2/19)
This Week: 2/27 vs. Minnesota (17-9), 3/1 vs. Northwestern (7-18)
17. Notre Dame 21-5 630 21
Last Week: Def. Pittsburgh 82-70 (2/21), Def. Syracuse 94-87 (2/24)
This Week: 2/28 at Louisville (22-6), 3/2 at DePaul (10-16)
18. Vanderbilt 23-4 627 20
Last Week: Def. Georgia 86-74 (2/23)
This Week: 2/26 vs. Tennessee (25-2), 3/1 at Arkansas (18-8)
19. Michigan State 22-5 625 19
Last Week: Def. Penn State 86-49 (2/20), Def. Iowa 66-52 (2/23)
This Week: 2/28 at Wisconsin (23-4), 3/2 vs. Indiana (23-4)
20. Drake 24-3 621 16
Last Week: Lost to Bradley 72-71 (2/19), Def. Butler 71-64 (2/23)
This Week: 2/26 at Missouri State (14-15), 3/1 vs. Wichita State (10-18)
21. Marquette 20-6 389 25
Last Week: Def. St. John's 73-64 (2/20), Def. Rutgers 78-48 (2/23)
This Week: 2/25 at Villanova (17-9), 3/1 vs. Georgetown (22-4)
22. Washington State 21-6 364 17
Last Week: Def. Arizona State 59-47 (2/21), Lost to Arizona 65-55 (2/23)
This Week: 2/28 at California (15-10), 3/1 at Stanford (22-4)
23. Kent State 23-5 125 NR
Last Week: Def. Buffalo 76-66 (2/19), Def. Saint Mary's 65-57 (2/24)
This Week: 3/1 at Bowling Green (12-14)
24. Gonzaga 21-6 94 NR
Last Week: Def. San Diego 59-55 (2/18)
This Week: 2/25 at Portland (8-19), 3/1 vs. Saint Mary's (23-4)
25. Saint Mary's 23-4 77 23
Last Week: Def. Pepperdine 100-64 (2/18), Lost to Kent State 65-57 (2/24)
This Week: 2/25 vs. San Diego (16-12), 3/1 at Gonzaga (21-6)

Others Receiving Votes
Miami (FL) 62, Davidson 40, Clemson 26, Texas A&M 21, Brigham Young 20, South Alabama 14, Kansas State 14, Arizona 11, USC 11, Mississippi State 8, Pittsburgh 7, Stephen F. Austin 7, Virginia Commonwealth 4, Western Kentucky 3, Kentucky 3, Florida 3, Arizona State 1, Cornell 1, UAB 1, New Mexico 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Texas A&M 22, Kansas State 24.

Memphis, Duke Sit Atop AP Top 25 (4/4/08)

The AP Top 25 college basketball rankings for the week of February 4, 2008 were released today.

Once again, there aren't many surprises. Memphis is ranked #1 and Duke has moved up one space to #2. North Carolina slid up to #3, Kansas dropped two spots to #4 and UCLA has remained at #5.

Of significance, Butler has now moved into the top ten (#10), and Drake is #15. Purdue has moved in to the Top 25 (#24) and Baylor has dropped out of the rankings.

AP Top 25 (4/4/08)

1. Memphis (72) 21-0 1,800
2. Duke 19-1 1,682
3. North Carolina 21-1 1,637
4. Kansas 21-1 1,574
5. UCLA 20-2 1,552
6. Georgetown 18-2 1,433
7. Tennessee 19-2 1,394
8. Wisconsin 18-3 1,211
9. Stanford 18-3 1,170
10. Butler 19-2 1,065
11. Michigan State 19-3 975
12. Texas 17-4 910
13. Xavier 18-4 889
14. Indiana 18-3 885
15. Drake 20-1 817
16. Marquette 16-4 726
17. Washington State 17-4 683
18. Texas A&M 18-4 591
19. Connecticut 16-5 476
20. Kansas State 15-5 361
21. Pittsburgh 17-5 258
22. Notre Dame 16-4 224
23. Vanderbilt 18-4 171
24. Purdue 17-5 143
25. Saint Mary's 18-3 125

Others Receiving Votes
Florida 94, Mississippi 90, Rhode Island 89, Arkansas 78, Gonzaga 60, Arizona 51, Baylor 47, UNLV 37, Louisville 24, USC 21, Clemson 18, Oklahoma 13, Mississippi State 8, Saint Joseph's 7, Virginia Tech 5, Ohio 2, Brigham Young 2, North Carolina-Asheville 1, Rider 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Florida 20, Mississippi 24, Baylor 25.

Memphis, Kansas Top AP Top 25 (1-28-08)

This week's AP Top 25 (1-28-08) was released today. Unlike last week, there aren't really any big surprises in the rankings, nor are there many teams that have leapfrogged up or plummeted down in the rankings.

The only relatively big news is that Tennessee (following their upset loss at Kentucky) has dropped from #3 to #7. Unbeaten Memphis is ranked #1 for the second straight week and unbeaten Kansas has moved up to #2.

Duke jumps up to #3 and North Carolina moves up one slot to #4. Plus, UCLA has returned to the top 5.

By the way, congratulations to Drake. Last week Drake debuted in the Top 25 at #22. This week, Drake has moved up to #16.

The AP Top 25 for the week of 1/28/08:

1. Memphis (46) 19-0 1,774
2. Kansas (26) 20-0 1,754
3. Duke 17-1 1,625
4. North Carolina 19-1 1,596
5. UCLA 18-2 1,500
6. Georgetown 16-2 1,377
7. Tennessee 17-2 1,339
8. Michigan State 18-2 1,320
9. Washington State 17-2 1,261
10. Texas 16-3 1,129
11. Indiana 17-2 1,065
12. Butler 19-2 948
13. Wisconsin 16-3 848
14. Stanford 16-3 786
15. Xavier 17-4 638
16. Drake 18-1 616
17. Marquette 14-4 513
18. Pittsburgh 16-4 464
19. Vanderbilt 17-3 397
20. Florida 18-3 374
21. Saint Mary's 17-2 310
22. Kansas State 14-4 281
23. Texas A&M 16-4 277
24. Mississippi 15-3 217
25. Baylor 16-3 166

Others Receiving Votes
Mississippi State 112, Connecticut 108, Arizona 102, Dayton 69, Notre Dame 63, USC 63, West Virginia 63, Louisville 40, Purdue 34, Oklahoma 28, Villanova 27, South Alabama 22, Clemson 20, Rhode Island 17, Gonzaga 17, Arizona State 16, Houston 9, Miami (FL) 7, UNLV 4, Saint Joseph's 3, Virginia Commonwealth 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Dayton 16, Villanova 18, Arizona State 24.

North Carolina No Longer #1: This Week's AP Top 25

After Saturday's shocking home loss to unranked Maryland, North Carolina dropped to #5 in this week's AP Top 25. Unbeaten Memphis is the new #1 team in America, while similarly unbeaten Kansas is ranked #2. The OTHER college basketball team from Knoxville, Bruce Pearl's Men's Tennessee Volunteers, are ranked #3. Duke and North Carolina round out this week's top 5.

With Memphis ranked #1 and Tennessee ranked #3, the Volunteer State has become the new capitol of college basketball (take that North Carolina and Indiana). Too bad Vol's spring football, football recruiting and the Lady Vols basketball team trump men's college basketball in popularity.

And it's great to see that "class" guys (who run such pristine programs) like Bruce Pearl and John Calipari are sitting atop the college basketball landscape. What's more, with Indiana at #7, it's possible that the Hoosiers could move into the top 5 by next week. Then Calipari, Pearl and Kelvin Sampson, paragons of virtue that they are, would be atop the polls and would, thereby, represent the pinnacle of their profession.

How great would that be for the image of college basketball!?!

This week's AP Top 25:
1. Memphis
2. Kansas
3. Tennessee
4. Duke
5. North Carolina
6. Washington State
7. Indiana
8. UCLA
9. Georgetown
10. Michigan State
11. Wisconsin
12. Texas
13. Pittsburgh
14. Vanderbilt
15. Butler
16. Dayton
17. Mississippi
18. Texas A&M
19. Villanova
20. Stanford
21. Marquette
22. Drake
23. Xavier
24. Arizona State
25. Baylor