The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the newest No. 2 team in the latest AP top 25, with the Duke Blue Devils also rising to No. 1 following Tennessee’s loss to Kentucky. In fact, the entirety of the top 5 changes, with Virginia and Kentucky moving to No. 3 and 4, and Tennessee dropping from No. 1 to No. 5.
AP Poll - Week 16
rank | team | points | previous |
---|---|---|---|
rank | team | points | previous |
1 | Duke (58) | 1,594 | 2 |
2 | Gonzaga (6) | 1,502 | 3 |
3 | Virginia | 1,476 | 4 |
4 | Kentucky | 1,383 | 5 |
5 | Tennessee | 1,376 | 1 |
6 | Nevada | 1,240 | 7 |
7 | Michigan | 1,150 | 6 |
8 | North Carolina | 1,129 | 8 |
9 | Houston | 1,085 | 9 |
10 | Michigan State | 1,064 | 11 |
11 | Marquette | 987 | 10 |
12 | Kansas | 801 | 14 |
13 | LSU | 773 | 19 |
14 | Texas Tech | 733 | 15 |
15 | Purdue | 699 | 12 |
16 | Florida State | 525 | 17 |
17 | Villanova | 519 | 13 |
18 | Louisville | 507 | 16 |
19 | Iowa State | 507 | 21 |
20 | Virginia Tech | 408 | 22 |
21 | Iowa | 389 | 21 |
22 | Wisconsin | 250 | 20 |
23 | Kansas State | 249 | 18 |
24 | Maryland | 211 | 24 |
25 | Buffalo | 164 | 25 |
Interestingly enough, a few voters (six to be exact), are going by the time-honored tradition of refusing to put a team above a team it has lost too. The Gonzaga Bulldogs beat the Duke Blue Devils back in the Maui Invitational any case anyone out there has forgotten.
The pollsters punished Tennessee a pretty hearty amount, considering Kentucky was also a top 5 team last week. If the case continues, the Zags might find themselves in a situation to slide right into first place with a Duke loss. Duke plays North Carolina at home and Syracuse (who they also lost to at home this season) on the road this week.