AP Poll Top 25 revealed following third week of college basketball season
College basketball’s season continued roaring throughout Thanksgiving weekend. After the third week of the campaign, the AP Top 25 Poll has officially been updated to reflect the action we saw.
A bevy of fascinating showdowns stole our attention in Week 3. Villanova defeated North Carolina in a wild game, and Florida Atlantic had a great week, defeating Texas A&M and racking up some additional victories.
This week features some wild games, including the ACC/SEC Challenge between Miami and Kentucky. As we move forward, here’s where the AP Poll stands for college basketball at the moment.
1) Purdue Boilermakers
It was a phenomenal week for Purdue in Maui. The Boilermakers started their week by defeating Gonzaga, and then took care of Tennessee and Marquette as the days continued to pass.
The Boilermakers will face some lesser competition in the upcoming week. Texas Southern and Northwestern are on the docket. Purdue will look to continue asserting their dominance.
2) Arizona Wildcats
Arizona won their only game over the last week, defeating Michigan State. The Spartans are falling, and the Wildcats took advantage.
A showdown with Colgate on Saturday is the only game for Arizona this week. The Wildcats are looking to remain undefeated, and enter December looking strong as ever.
3) Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette showed they can contend with the best at the Allstate Maui Invitational. First, they defeated UCLA and Kansas, amassing two awesome wins in the process.
Alas, the Golden Eagles couldn’t finish the job, as they fell to Purdue last Wednesday. This week, they’ll face off against Southern and Wisconsin, as they look to continue their strong play.
4) Connecticut Huskies
At 6-0 on the season, the reigning champions of the college basketball world have picked up right where they left off. The Huskies defeated Texas and Manhattan last week, and will be looking for more this upcoming week.
One of the biggest games of the season is on the docket. The Huskies will play Kansas on Friday, as part of the Big East-Big 12 battle.
5) Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas had a busy week at the Allstate Maui Invitational. First, they defeated Chaminade, but then they followed that with a loss to Marquette on Tuesday. However, the Jayhawks responded with a win over Tennessee on Wednesday.
As the calendar turns to December, Kansas will have two games this week. The biggest one comes on Friday, as the Jayhawks will face UConn in the Big East-Big 12 battle.
6) Houston Cougars
In their only game of the last week, Houston defeated Montana by a score of 79-44. The Cougars were led by LJ Cryer, who scored 24 points in the process.
In the Big East-Big 12 Battle, Houston will face Xavier on Friday. The Musketeers are 4-2 on the season, and will be hoping to end the Cougars’ undefeated run.
7) Duke Blue Devils
Duke took care of business during the Blue Devil Challenge. They defeated La Salle and Southern Indiana during their last week of play, moving their record to 5-1.
With the ACC/SEC Challenge upcoming, the Blue Devils will face Arkansas on Wednesday. Then, a showdown against Georgia Tech will take place on Saturday, as they look to continue their winning ways.
8) Miami Hurricanes
Miami was able to enjoy their Thanksgiving stress free, as they enjoyed a week off. However, their performance in the week prior wasn’t lost on voters, where they took care of business during the Baha Mar Hoops – Bahamas Championship, winning against Georgia and Kansas State
The Hurricanes will now have a huge game on Tuesday. During the ACC/SEC Challenge, Miami will face Kentucky in what should be a gigantic showdown.
9) Baylor Bears
Baylor is up to the top ten after starting their season 6-0. They’re coming off a huge win over Florida, where they defeated the Gators by four points.
This week, the Bears will face Nicholls on Tuesday, beginning their week with a nice, winnable game before a showdown with Northwestern State on Saturday.
10) Tennessee Volunteers
While Tennessee started the Allstate Maui Invitational with a win over Syracuse, it wasn’t a fun week afterwards. The Volunteers fell to Purdue and Kansas last Tuesday and Wednesday, losing to some tough competition.
At least the Volunteers have a chance to realign their season this week. They’ll play North Carolina on Wednesday in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
AP Poll Top 25 — 11 through 25:
11) Gonzaga
12) Kentucky
13) Florida Atlantic
14) Texas A&M
15) Creighton
16) Texas
17) North Carolina
18) Villanova
19) BYU
20) Colorado State
21) Mississippi St.
22) James Madison
23) Alabama
24) Illinois
25) Oklahoma
Others receiving votes: Memphis 108, San Diego St. 102, Colorado 70, Ohio St. 67, TCU 66, Michigan St. 57, Auburn 46, UCLA 24, Princeton 14, Arkansas 10, Florida St. 8, Iowa St. 8, Southern Cal 7, Liberty 7, Nevada 6, Clemson 6, Virginia 6, Mississippi 5, Nebraska 4, South Carolina 2, Cincinnati 2, Kansas St 1, Bradley 1.
As you can see, the AP Top 25 Poll for the third week of college basketball reflects the action we’ve seen thus far on the court. With some awesome clashes set for the Allstate Maui Invitational, we’re bound to see a ton more movement over the next week. We’ll see where each team ends up.