CBB AP Poll Released: Indiana Remains No. 1
Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE
The first week of college basketball has come and gone, which can only mean one thing: the AP Poll ranks its top 25 teams in the nation.
Though, not much has changed since the preseason standings were released just two weeks ago, there’s a lot to speculate about how the season will unfold.
Indiana (1-0) remains the top contender after dropping Bryant University in a 97-54 defeat. The contest featured one of the top players in the league and the frontrunner for the Player of the Year award – Cody Zeller — who netted his first double-double of the season (18 points and 10 rebounds). Fellow Hoosier Christian Watford added 15 points and 15 rebounds to remind AP voters just how dominant Indiana will be this year.
Louisiville (2), Kentucky (3) , Ohio State (4) and Michigan (5) all remain unchanged to round out the top 5 in the AP poll. Kentucky seems like the most legitimate contender to knock Indiana off its No. 1 position, especially after stacking top-tier freshman talent.
The only change in the top 10 comes from the Syracuse Orange and Duke Blue Devils and the Syracuse Orange swapping spots at No. 8 and No. 9, respectively. Syracuse beat out Duke with 54 more votes to gain the slight edge in the rankings.
The only big alteration is Michigan State (0-1) who fell from No. 14 to No. 21 after losing to the formerly unranked Connecticut Huskies 66-62. The Huskies win proved to be just enough to push their way into the rankings — the only new team to do so. They are now ranked No 23. The one team left behind was Florida State (0-1), who dropped a decisive 76-71 matchup against South Alabama.
The new rankings draw attention to the fact that there is no conference that owns a stranglehold when it comes to bragging rights across the nation. The Big East and the Big Ten are tied with both divisions sitting five teams in the top 25 standings.  The ACC trails with three in the top 25 after Florida State’s debacle. Meanwhile, the SEC also retained three teams in the poll, including No. 3 Kentucky.
Finally, the Big 12, Pac-12 and Mountain West Conferences all have two teams in the AP poll. Though, no teams rank higher than No. 12 (Arizona) and have a legitimate shot at leapfrogging into the top 5 anytime soon.
