Feb 8th, 2010 | 12:58 pm |
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- Syracuse forward Wes Johnson and the Orange move up to No. 2 in this week
The Kansas Jayhawks hang on to the top spot in the latest Associated Press Men’s College Basketball Poll released Monday. The Jayhawks survived an upset bid in overtime against Colorado on Wednesday night and defeated Nebraska on Saturday.
Syracuse, who defeated Cincinnati 71-54 on Sunday, moves up to No. 2. Notre Dame coach Mike Bray said that Syracuse was the best team in the country earlier in the year.
Kentucky, despite one loss, is ranked No. 3. They beat Ole Miss by 10 on Tuesday and man-handled LSU Saturday. It’s probably not important that Syracuse is ranked ahead of the Wildcats unless you’re a Big Blue fan. Otherwise both teams should be No.1 seeds barring major losses down the stretch.
Villanova who beat Seton Hall on Tuesday but lost to Georgetown on Saturday stays at No. 4. While West Virginia, who beat Pittsburgh and St. Johns last week, moves up to No. 5 in the poll.
Georgetown is No. 7, but can beat any team in the country if they are clicking.
Mississippi dropped out of the Top 25 after a loss Kentucky and a win against Alabama last week. UNLV is the only newly ranked team after beating Wyoming and Brigham Young last week.
Wisconsin, who upset Michigan State and then beat Michigan moves up to No. 11 from No. 16. The Big Ten has four teams in the top 25 as does the Big 12. The Mountain West Conference and the SEC each have three ranked teams.
Michigan State, who lost star guard Kalin Lucas to an ankle injury against Wisconsin Tuesday night, drops from No. 5 to No. 10 with losses to the Badgers and Illinois last week.
Michigan State’s real test comes Tuesday night when they face No. 6 Purdue. Lucas practiced Sunday and will be a game time decision for Tuesday’s game.
The ACC has just two teams ranked, a surging Duke squad up two spots at No. 8, after beating Boston College and Georgia Tech. The Yellowjackets, the other ACC team in the Top 25, are up one spot to No. 20 with a win against North Carolina Saturday.
Forth the fifth consecutive week the Pac-10 doesn’t have a team ranked in the AP Top 25.
AP Top 25 (First place votes) Record, Total points
1. Kansas (55) 22-1 1,613
2. Syracuse (8) 23-1 1,553
3. Kentucky (2) 22-1 1,514
4. Villanova 20-2 1,366
5. West Virginia 19-3 1,361
6. Purdue 19-3 1,301
7. Georgetown 17-5 1,211
8. Duke 19-4 1,142
9. Kansas State 19-4 1,139
10. Michigan State 19-5 968
11. Wisconsin 18-5 871
12. Tennessee 18-4 850
13. Ohio State 18-6 845
14. Texas 19-4 789
15. New Mexico 21-3 725
16. Gonzaga 19-4 693
17. Brigham Young 22-3 532
18. Butler 20-4 422
19. Northern Iowa 21-2 298
20. Georgia Tech 17-6 269
21. Temple 19-5 223
22. Vanderbilt 17-5 222
23. UNLV 19-4 209
24. Baylor 17-5 202
25. Pittsburgh 17-6 149
Others Receiving Votes
Texas A&M 115, Cornell 114, Wake Forest 109, Maryland 69, Charlotte 48, UTEP 33, Mississippi 30, Rhode Island 30, Saint Mary’s 18, Siena 18, Illinois 16, Florida State 15, Virginia Tech 11, Marquette 10, UAB 7, Wichita State 5, Richmond 5, Missouri 3, South Florida 2.
Go Spiders!