Feb. 01--No. 1 and No. 2 were easy this week.
Oklahoma and North Carolina held their top two spots in my Associated Press poll voting. But the rest of the deck again saw plenty of shuffling -- as has been the habit this season.
One Big Ten team made a major jump back into the top 10.
(Last week's ranking in parentheses; records through Sunday)
1. (1) Oklahoma 18-2.
2. (2) North Carolina 19-2.
3. (6) Villanova 18-3.
4. (3) Iowa 17-4.
5. (4) Kansas 17-4.
6. (7) Xavier 19-2.
7. (14) Maryland 19-3.
8. (8) Virginia 17-4.
9. (5) Texas A 18-3.
10. (9) Miami 16-4.
11. (13) Michigan State 19-4.
12. (12) SMU 19-1.
13. (11) Providence 18-4.
14. (10) West Virginia 17-4.
15. (15) Baylor 17-4.
16. (16) Iowa State 16-5.
17. (17) Louisville 17-4.
18. (21) Purdue 19-4.
19. (24) Oregon 18-4.
20. (20) Kentucky 16-5.
21. (19) Indiana 18-4.
22. (22) Wichita State 16-5.
23. (NR) Dayton 18-3.
24. (18) Arizona 17-5.
25. (NR) Utah 17-5.
--Dropped out: Duke (23), Notre Dame (25).
--How far the champions have fallen. The Blue Devils -- last season's NCAA tournament champion, in case you forgot -- have lost four of the last five. They're ninth in the ACC and own an RPI outside of the top 25. Duke fell out of the AP poll for the first time in eight years; they had been in every men's poll since the preseason rankings of 2007-08. The record run is UCLA's 221 straight polls from 1966-80.
--Last week, Maryland fell hard after a loss at Michigan State. That may have been an overreaction. The Terrapins beat Iowa and won at Ohio State this week for just their second road victory of the season. They make the week's largest jump back into the top 10, up seven spots.
--Virginia had many haters after losing at Virginia Tech, at Georgia Tech and at Florida State. The Cavaliers showed they can win on the road, registering victories at Wake Forest and at Louisville. The 63-47 win at Louisville was especially impressive. The only reason they held at No. 8 is because of the workings of other teams.Maryland needed to be rewarded for beating Iowa.
--Look who is sitting atop the Pac-12. Oregon has won four straight and seven of the last eight. The win streak includes victories against once-ranked USC, a tough UCLA squad and on the road at dangerous Arizona. Important to note the Ducks' No. 4 RPI as well. They deserved to move into the top 20 -- if not higher.
sryan@tribpub.com
