AP Top 25 Poll: week three
The third week of the AP Top 25 Poll was released on Monday 22 November and although there was only one new team added, the field saw a significant number of changes.
The college basketball season is still young and teams are still working to find their form. However, with the semi-finals of many of the early season tournaments taking place this week, several of the nation’s top teams are at risk of losing their first
match-up of the year.
Top five
The Duke Blue Devils continue to be at the head of the pack, having once again earned 58 first place votes. Following the Blue Devils are the Michigan State Spartans, who improved their record to 2-0, but lost a first place vote, dropping to six. Third place
now belongs to the Ohio State Buckeyes, who managed to improve their record to 3-0 and got a win over the Florida Gators. The fourth place spot goes to the Kansas State Wildcats, who dropped one place because of the Buckeyes ascension. Rounding out the top
five are the Pittsburgh Panthers, who continue to cruise with a 5-0 record.
6-10
The 6-10 range underwent a significant shift after week two with a couple new teams joining the fold. The group is now led by the Kansas Jayhawks, who took over for the Villanova Wildcats, who dropped down one spot to seventh, despite their 4-0 record. Eighth
place now belongs to the Kentucky Wildcats, who moved up from 12th after getting a win over the Oklahoma Sooners.
Meanwhile, ninth spot belongs to the Syracuse Orange, who improved to 4-0. The top ten is rounded out by the Purdue Boilermakers, who picked up two wins to move to 3-0.
11-15
The 11-15 range saw wholesale changes, as four teams were able to force their way up the standings. The group is now led by the Missouri Tigers, who jumped from 15th spot. The number 12 spot now belongs to the Baylor Bears, who managed to move
up from 16th after improving to 3-0. The Washington Huskies check in at 13th, moving up from 17th, while the Memphis Tigers jumped up five spots to 14th. The top 15 is rounded out by the Minnesota Golden Gophers,
who have a 5-0 record to start the year.
16-20
Similar to that of the 11-15 range the 16-20 range underwent a great deal of change after the second week of competition. The group is now led by the Florida Gators, who fell from 10th after losing to the Buckeyes. Tied with the Gators in 16th
are the Georgetown Hoyas, who moved up from 20th. Meanwhile, the San Diego State Aztecs were able to shoot up to 18th from 25th spot after starting the year 4-0. The Illinois Fighting Illini fell from 13th to 19th
after losing to the Texas Longhorns. The top 20 is rounded out by the Texas Longhorns, who were the only new addition to the Top 25 this week.
Bottom five
Despite the drastic changes in the middle of the AP Top 25, the bottom five experienced a limited number of alterations in week three.
The group is still led by the Temple Owls, who remained at 2-0. The 22nd spot now belongs to the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who suffered a loss at the hands of the San Diego State Aztecs and dropped from 11th place. The Brigham Young Cougars
held steady at 23rd, after improving their record to 3-0.
Similarly, the Tennessee Volunteers held at 24th, getting another two wins. The top 25 is rounded out the by North Carolina Tar Heels, who suffered two losses to Minnesota and the Vanderbilt Commodores, bringing their record to 2-2.
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