Duke Blue Devils still number one, University of Connecticut Huskies crack top 25
The Associated Press has retooled their NCAA men’s basketball rankings and the Duke Blue Devils are still number one. Not only were the Dukes number one, they were the unanimous number one. All 65 first place votes were cast for the Blue Devils. The Blue
Devils have been exceptional thus far this season, dominating every opponent they faced by a considerable margin. This is including a dominating 110-58 win over the Colgate Raiders.
Perhaps the biggest story is the University of Connecticut Huskies, who came in at number seven after being unranked in the last poll. The jump in rankings isn’t surprising though, considering the Huskies, lead by the sensational Kemba Walker. upset the
number two ranked Michigan State Spartans, knocking them out of the Maui invitational. They followed that up downing the Kentucky Wildcats to win the championship.
Kemba Walker is likely the catalyst for the team’s jump in rankings. Walker lead the team to two upset victories while registering a league-leading 30 points per game average. This includes an impressive 42-point night against the Vermont Catamounts.
Since the Associated Press poll went to 25 schools, only one other unranked school has come in higher than the Huskies. After winning the 1989 Preseason NIT, Kansas found themselves in fourth place.
Falling to the unranked Huskies likely contributed to Michigan and Kentucky’s respective falls in the standings. Michigan finds themselves in number six after pre-season rankings had them at number two. Meanwhile Kentucky drops two spots from number eight
to number 10.
Other notable drops are the Temple Owls (3-2), the Gonzaga Bulldogs (3-2) and the North Carolina Tar Heels (4-2). Meanwhile, a strong, 6-0 start from the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels has landed them in 24th, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s 7-0 record has put
the team in 25th. Both teams were unranked in preseason predictions.
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