AP Poll Released; Shakeups Lead to New No. 1

Rob Kinnan-US PRESSWIRE

Say fair-well to the last undefeateds.

The Associated Press witnessed the biggest shakeup of college basketball this past week after the last three undefeated teams went down in dramatic fashion, opening the flood gates to a number of one-loss teams.

Former No. 1 Duke Blue Devils’ loss to the North Carolina State Wolfpack was the biggest surprise of the week, which dropped them to the No. 3 position in the AP Poll. The defeat was especially disheartening due to the fact that the team could be without Ryan Kelly for the next two to four weeks because of a foot injury he sustained on Saturday.

Meanwhile, No. 7 Arizona fell earlier in the week to the upstart Oregon Ducks. The Wildcats were teetering on the edge of catastrophe this season, clinging to a slew of come-from-behind wins against Florida, an Diego State, Colorado and Utah. Their luck inevitably ran out against the Ducks, when they fell behind early and couldn’t climb out of the deep first-half hole in time.

The final undefeated team to fall was formerly-ranked No. 2 (now No. 5) Michigan, who had its hands full against a tough Ohio State squad. The Buckeyes received some AP nods and a boost in their rankings due to a suffocating defense that hampered the Wolverines offensive looks. In fact, the team only allowed 53 points against Michigan (who averages 80+ points per game). They also won the rebounding battle and forced an unhealthy amount of turnovers to post their statement win this season.

The three losses opened the door for Louisville, who currently stands at the top of the AP Top 25 standings this week. The only loss the Cardinals suffered this year was against Duke, who barely edged them 76-71.

Indiana also leapfrogged the former undefeated teams and crept into second place in the standings. The Hoosiers sped out to a 23-point lead over Minnesota at halftime, but ended up clinging to a 88-81 win to improve to 15-1 on the season.

Kansas also snuck into the AP’s top-5 after fending off Texas Tech on Saturday, 60-46. The Jayhawks only loss came at the hands of then-ranked No. 21 Michigan in the team’s second game of the season. Kansas has since rattled off 13 wins in a row to claim the No. 4 spot in the rankings.