AP Top 25 Rankings 11/29

[DoubleDuke Dad]

The new AP rankings are in. There are no real surprises at the top. Kansas State, Michigan State, and Kentucky dropped a few spots due to a loss and Connecticut jumped up to #7. The good news is that the voters saw the error of their way and dropped UNC out of the top 25.

[Bob Green]

Here is a link:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings

It seems strange to have only one ACC team in the Top 25.

[JasonEvans]

For the first time this year, we are a unanimous #1.

--Jason "only one ACC team in the Top 25 because only one belongs there at this point" Evans

[Duke: A Dynasty]

I still think and maintain my belief that NC State will be a top 25 team by the end of the year. I think they are good enough now to be a top 20 to 30.

[J4Kop99]

I understand UCONN beat Michigan St. and Kentucky... but still. It was in a tournament in hawaii. How on earth did they go from unranked, all the way to #7? Maybe I'm in the wrong here but I find that a bit ridiculous.

As for the rest of this poll, glad to see UNC dropped out. They are still extremely young and don't really have any true veteran presence. With that said though, there doesn't seem to be much respect for the ACC this season.

Tennessee knocked off Villanova but is ranked one spot behind them?

[Kedsy]

I understand UCONN beat Michigan St. and Kentucky... but still. It was in a tournament in hawaii. How on earth did they go from unranked, all the way to #7? Maybe I'm in the wrong here but I find that a bit ridiculous.

Same thing happened last year to Syracuse, who jumped from unranked to #10 after beating what turned out to be a mediocre UNC team. On the other hand, the jump for Syracuse ended up being legitimate.

Tennessee knocked off Villanova but is ranked one spot behind them?

Well, we got clobbered last year by NC State. Should they have been ranked ahead of us the next week?

[Olympic Fan]

This is just the second week in the last 32 years that the ACC has been down to one ranked team.

It happened last year the week of Feb. 22 -- Duke was No. 5, but Wake, which was only in the rankings for one week, dropped out. Georgia Tech and UNC, which had been ranked most of the early part of the season had faded a week earlier (on Tech's part). Maryland was ranked a week later. Before that, you have to go back to two weeks early in the 1977-78 season, when UNC was the only ranked ACC team.

What's disturbing is that the ACC isn't even that strong in other-teams-receiving-votes. UNC came in 29th and Virginia Tech at No. 32.

[fisheyes]

This is just the second week in the last 32 years that the ACC has been down to one ranked team.

It happened last year the week of Feb. 22 -- Duke was No. 5, but Wake, which was only in the rankings for one week, dropped out. Georgia Tech and UNC, which had been ranked most of the early part of the season had faded a week earlier (on Tech's part). Maryland was ranked a week later. Before that, you have to go back to two weeks early in the 1977-78 season, when UNC was the only ranked ACC team.

What's disturbing is that the ACC isn't even that strong in other-teams-receiving-votes. UNC came in 29th and Virginia Tech at No. 32.

How do you guys remember/find this stuff?!!!! I am not worthy!

[DukeFanSince1990]

How do you guys remember/find this stuff?!!!! I am not worthy!

And.......thats why I come here so often.

[gam7]

This is just the second week in the last 32 years that the ACC has been down to one ranked team.

It happened last year the week of Feb. 22 -- Duke was No. 5, but Wake, which was only in the rankings for one week, dropped out. Georgia Tech and UNC, which had been ranked most of the early part of the season had faded a week earlier (on Tech's part). Maryland was ranked a week later. Before that, you have to go back to two weeks early in the 1977-78 season, when UNC was the only ranked ACC team.

And in both of those years Duke played in the national championship game.

[DukieInBrasil]

And in both of those years Duke played in the national championship game.

great stat. It bodes well.

[Channing]

I understand UCONN beat Michigan St. and Kentucky... but still. It was in a tournament in hawaii. How on earth did they go from unranked, all the way to #7? Maybe I'm in the wrong here but I find that a bit ridiculous.

As for the rest of this poll, glad to see UNC dropped out. They are still extremely young and don't really have any true veteran presence. With that said though, there doesn't seem to be much respect for the ACC this season.

Tennessee knocked off Villanova but is ranked one spot behind them?

To the contrary, I think it is great. Preseason rankings are completely irrelevant. I am glad the voters looked at what UConn did on the court and rewarded them appropriately. Does any other team have two wine as impressive as UConn's wins?

[uh_no]

To the contrary, I think it is great. Preseason rankings are completely irrelevant. I am glad the voters looked at what UConn did on the court and rewarded them appropriately. Does any other team have two wine as impressive as UConn's wins?

Uconn bias aside: uconn has looked like one of the best teams in the country thus far

does anyone disagree? the only teams someone could say might look better are duke and OSU...they beat UK by 17 for goodness sake!

that said: last time uconn won the maui invitational they lost to a well known basketball powerhouse named george mason and didn't make the final 4

[InSpades]

To the contrary, I think it is great. Preseason rankings are completely irrelevant. I am glad the voters looked at what UConn did on the court and rewarded them appropriately. Does any other team have two wine as impressive as UConn's wins?

I was going to post the same thing so I will just reiterate the point. I'd much rather voters over-emphasize actual results and under-emphasize their pre-conceived notions. If they did that then there's no way UNC would have still been ranked last week (or still receiving votes this week). Give UConn credit for coming up with some pretty big wins.

[CampbellBlueDevil]

I don't see anything wrong with UCONN's jump, they did beat two very good squads. Possibly with the allegations and trouble swirling around their program it caused voters to vote cautiously in the preseason polls.

Duke definitely is holding the ACC torch.

[rasputin]

I don't see anything wrong with UCONN's jump, they did beat two very good squads. Possibly with the allegations and trouble swirling around their program it caused voters to vote cautiously in the preseason polls.

Duke definitely is holding the ACC torch.

The torch is more like a match at this point.

[uh_no]

Possibly with the allegations and trouble swirling around their program it caused voters to vote cautiously in the preseason polls.

Or perhaps because they were a terrible squad last year with no headline incoming freshman while effort problems have plagued the team the past few years call into question calhoun's ability to put together a good team...i don't think the allegations of trouble have any effect on a teams rakings (as it should be....the rankings are about BASKETBALL not ethics)

[loran16]

To the contrary, I think it is great. Preseason rankings are completely irrelevant. I am glad the voters looked at what UConn did on the court and rewarded them appropriately. Does any other team have two wine as impressive as UConn's wins?

Actually...maybe not? http://kenpom.com/blog/index.php/web...poll_is_great/

The preseason poll is actually a better predictor of results than the in-season one. The problem is that the in-season one overreacts to bad losses and good wins.

UConn definitely is a top 25 team. Are they really a top 10 team? Hard to say.

[SCMatt33]

Actually...maybe not? http://kenpom.com/blog/index.php/web...poll_is_great/

The preseason poll is actually a better predictor of results than the in-season one. The problem is that the in-season one overreacts to bad losses and good wins.

UConn definitely is a top 25 team. Are they really a top 10 team? Hard to say.

I don't think that Pomeroy's analysis really applies to UConn because it only concerns the results and movements of teams ranked #1. His post does raise an interesting question, though, in what the polls are supposed to represent. Pomeroy has this to say.

Now, you’re saying, “Ken, the ratings aren’t designed to identify the best teams! No pollster is doing that!” My response to you would be “Stop yelling.” And then - why aren’t they doing that? I also ask you – what are they trying to do? You probably can’t answer the last question, and I couldn’t either so I contacted the AP to determine what instructions are given to voters. They did not respond.

I believe that Ken's analysis is correct except that he is missing two big words at the end, right now. The Polls have always been a snapshot of the current landscape and not a predictor of future performance. The only one that is commonly used as a predictor is the preseason poll, which is probably why it is better at predicting things. Will UConn be a top 10 team come Selection Sunday, probably not. I'm not sure they will even be a top 25 team as I personally don't believe that they can simply have Kemba Walker carry them with little help for an entire season. Unless someone else steps up big time, UConn will lose every game against a half decent team when Walker has a sub-par performance and that is not a formula for consistent success. Right now, though, any rankings based on performance only should have UConn in the top ten.

Unfortunately for those of us who love the dork polls, they are all still influenced by preseason ratings, so we can't know for sure where UConn stands base solely on performance.

[Duke: A Dynasty]

So how far should Minn. fall? They beat UNC who was ranked number 8 but yeaaa and now they lost UVA.