The North Carolina Tar Heels are slotted at the #9 spot again this week in the AP Poll. The top two spots in the AP Top 25 remain unchanged with Villanova and Kansas leading the poll.
Here is the full AP Poll from Week 12:
- Villanova (35) 19-1
- Kansas (28) 18-1
- Gonzaga (2) 19-0
- Kentucky 17-2
- Baylor 18-1
- Florida State 18-2
- Arizona 18-2
- UCLA 19-2
- North Carolina 18-3
- Oregon 18-2
- Butler 17-3
- Virginia 15-3
- Louisville 16-4
- Notre Dame 17-3
- Wisconsin 16-3
- Creighton 18-2
- Duke 15-4
- West Virginia 15-4
- Cincinnati 17-2
- Purdue 16-4
- Saint Mary's 17-2
- Maryland 17-2
- South Carolina 15-4
- Xavier 14-5
- Florida 14-5
Where is UNC?
The Tar Heels come in at #9 again this week after victories versus Syracuse and at Boston College. The coaches have a higher opinion of UNC than the writers, as the Tar Heels are ranked #6 in the Coaches Poll.
Biggest Losers
- West Virginia dropped 11 spots in the AP Poll after a winless week. The Mountaineers were upset twice by unranked opponents. They dropped an overtime thriller at home against Oklahoma, then lost on the road to Kansas State.
- Creighton fell nine spots after going 1-1 last week. The Bluejays scored an important conference road win against then-ranked #22 Xaiver. This big win was followed by a bad home loss to Marquette.
- Florida was knocked down six spots after a winless week in the SEC. They lost on the road to South Carolina in a low scoring affair in which the Gators did not hit a single three-pointer. UF hosted Vanderbilt three days later and lost by two after leading for most of the second half.
Biggest Winners
- Arizona moved up seven spots after road wins against Southern California and then-ranked #3 UCLA. Against UCLA, the Wildcats got the lead with around five minutes left in the first half and never relinquished the lead.
- ACC foes Virginia and Florida State both gained four spots in the AP Poll. FSU earned two home wins against ranked opponents, Notre Dame and Louisville. UVA went on the road and beat Boston College and won at home against Georgia Tech.
- Gonzaga for the second straight week received two first place votes. The Bulldogs are undefeated this season and sitting atop the West Coast Conference standings.
On the Outside Looking In
- K-State is just outside the poll at #26 in voting points. Last week, the Wildcats beat Oklahoma State on the road and upset West Virginia at home.
- SMU is next in voting points at #27. They were undefeated last week in home games against UConn and Houston.
- Our friends down at the beach, UNCW, came in at #29 in voting points. The Seahawks are undefeated in conference play and are 19-2 overall.
Top 25 Conference Breakdown
- ACC: 6 teams
- American: 1 team
- Big East: 4 teams
- Big Ten: 3 teams
- Big 12: 3 teams
- Pac-12: 3 teams
- SEC: 3 teams
- West Coast: 2 teams
Best Top 25 Games this Week
- Tonight, #18 West Virginia hosts #2 Kansas at 7:00 PM ET. At 8, the Cavaliers travel to South Bend to take on the Irish.
- On Thursday, #24 Xavier travels to Cincinnati to take on the #19 Bearcats at 7:00 PM ET. At 8, the Heels host the Hokies.
- On Saturday, UNC travels to Coral Gables to play Miami at 1:00 PM ET. At 6:15, #2 Kansas will play #4 Kentucky in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge at Rupp Arena.
- #1 Villanova takes on #12 Virginia in Phildelphia on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.
Upset Alert
- Southern Cal hosts UCLA on Wednesday night. The Trojans started the season on a 14-game winning streak before conference play, and could pounce on the Bruins after their loss against Arizona.
- Utah hosts #10 Oregon Thursday at 10:30 PM ET. The Utes have played ranked competitors close this season and could hand the Ducks their first conference loss.
- Could the Deacs “Wake” the nation and beat Duke at LJVM Coliseum Saturday afternoon?