Preseason No. 1 UNC topples out of Leading 25 poll
Houston and Texas remain strongly entrenched atop the Associated Press males’s college basketball poll, while preseason No. 1 North Carolina has left totally after a fourth straight loss.The Cougars earned 37 of 62 first-place votes in Monday’s poll, extending the program’s very first remain at No. 1 since the 1980s Phi Slama Jama days for another week. Houston (8-0 )beat Norfolk State and Saint Mary’s in its first week at the top.”I do not harp on it, “coach Kelvin Sampson said last week about the No. 1 ranking.”We’re not running around here pushing our chest out, believing we’re something we’re not.”The Longhorns received 14 first-place votes. No. 3 Virginia got three
votes and No. 4 Purdue got the staying eight.UConn( 9-0)reached No. 5, the program’s greatest ranking given that early in the 2011-12 season. Aside from the top 5, there are 3 other groups in the AP Top 25 that entered Monday unbeaten (No. 11 Auburn, No. 13 Maryland and No. 23 Mississippi State ). SWIFT FALL North Carolina is only the sixth group to go from preseason No. 1 to unranked considering that at least the 1961-62 season,
most recently with Michigan State throughout the 2019-20 season.Of that group, the Tar Heels had the swiftest exit from the poll to start the season (four weeks)except for UCLA in 1965-66.
The Bruins fell out of the poll after just 3 weeks back when only 10 teams were ranked.Ranked No. 18 last week, the Tar Heels(5-4) lost their 4th straight game over the weekend at Virginia Tech while playing without banged-up huge guy Armando Bacot. They appeared on a single ballot today from the 62-member panel that votes on the AP Top 25.” I informed them also that I’m not stressed, I’m not any of that,”coach Hubert Davis said afterward.” I’m convinced we’re going to be a great basketball group by the end of the season. “In 2015’s Tar Heels were on the bubble to even make the NCAA competition well into February in Davis’launching season. They went on a final-month tear all the way to the NCAA championship game before being up to Kansas.THE TOP TIER Kansas climbed to No. 6, followed by three Southeastern Conference teams in Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas. For the Volunteers and Crimson Tide, it marked their very first appearances inside the top 10 this year.
Arizona rounded out the leading 10, falling six spots after a loss at Utah.RISING No. 13 Maryland had the biggest dive of the week, vaulting nine spots after wins against Louisville and Illinois recently in the Terrapins ‘first year under Kevin Willard. That marks the program’s highest ranking considering that pressing into the leading 10 during the 2019-20
season.Tennessee was successive with a six-spot climb, while No. 11 Auburn rose 4 spots.In all, 13 teams climbed up from last week.SLIDING Creighton had the week’s most significant fall, toppling 14 spots to No. 21 after losing at Texas and in your home to Nebraska last week.No. 12 Baylor fell six spots after a loss to Marquette, though the Bears responded by beating Gonzaga on Friday in a rematch of the 2021 NCAA championship game won by Baylor.The Zags, now No. 18, fell four spots to their least expensive ranking since signing in
at No. 20 on Christmas Day in 2017. In all, four groups slid from last week.STATUS QUO Beyond the leading three, No. 25 Ohio State stayed in place after a difficult loss at No. 15 Duke last week.WELCOME No. 23 Mississippi State and No. 24 TCU were the brand-new additions to the poll, with the Bulldogs (8-0)earning their very first AP Top 25 ranking under first-year coach Chris Jans given that January 2019. The Horned Frogs were ranked 14th and 15th, respectively, in the first 2 surveys prior to falling out for two weeks.FAREWELL(FOR NOW) In addition to UNC, Michigan State (No. 20)fell out after losses to Notre Dame and Northwestern.CONFERENCE WATCH The SEC led the way with six ranked teams, including No. 16 Kentucky.
The Big 10 and Huge 12 each had 5 ranked teams, followed by 2 each for the Atlantic Coast, Pac-12 and Big East conferences.The American Athletic, West Coast and Mountain West conferences each had one.