For the second consecutive week, Tennessee holds the No. 1 spot within the AP males’s Top 25 ballot. The Volunteers (10-0) acquired 1,537 votes and 50 first-place votes to remain forward of No. 2 Auburn, which cruised to a 91-53 victory towards Ohio State on Saturday. The Tigers (9-1) did achieve floor on Tennessee from final week’s ballot, totaling 1,483 votes (12 first-place votes).
Tennessee is coming off a 2-0 week away from residence, defeating Miami 75-62 in New York on Tuesday and Illinois 66-64 in Champaign on Saturday due to a buzzer-beating Jordan Gainey layup. Kentucky jumped Duke for the No. 4 spot after defeating Louisville 93-85 on Saturday. Sixth-ranked Alabama (8-2) jumped one spot and seventh-ranked Florida (10-0) jumped two spots from final week’s ballot, giving the SEC 5 of the highest seven spots, together with three of the highest 5.
Kansas regrouped from its first two losses of the season every week in the past to maneuver up two spots after a 75-60 win over NC State. The Jayhawks dropped from the highest group to No. 10 final week however are as much as No. 8.
UConn (8-3) and UCLA (9-1) made two of the largest jumps within the ballot. The Huskies moved up seven spots to No. 11 after a decent win over Gonzaga, which dropped 5 spots. The Bruins rose six spots to No. 18 due to a three-point victory towards Arizona.
Dayton (9-2) made its first look on the AP ballot this season, garnering 281 factors and a No. 22 rating after a 71-63 residence win over Marquette. No. 24 Michigan dropped 10 spots and No. 25 Clemson dropped 9 spots after slim losses.
Here’s the complete ballot, alongside the poll of The Athletic’s C.J. Moore:
AP Top 25: Dec. 16
| Rank | Team | Record | Prev | CJ’s vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
10-0 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
2 |
9-1 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
3 |
9-1 |
3 |
3 |
|
|
4 |
10-1 |
5 |
6 |
|
|
5 |
8-2 |
4 |
4 |
|
|
6 |
8-2 |
7 |
7 |
|
|
7 |
10-0 |
9 |
5 |
|
|
8 |
8-2 |
10 |
11 |
|
|
9 |
9-2 |
6 |
12 |
|
|
10 |
10-1 |
12 |
9 |
|
|
11 |
8-3 |
18 |
13 |
|
|
12 |
9-2 |
17 |
14 |
|
|
13 |
7-3 |
8 |
15 |
|
|
14 |
10-0 |
13 |
21 |
|
|
15 |
6-3 |
15 |
10 |
|
|
16 |
8-3 |
11 |
16 |
|
|
17 |
9-1 |
19 |
17 |
|
|
18 |
9-1 |
24 |
8 |
|
|
19 |
8-1 |
22 |
NR |
|
|
20 |
8-2 |
21 |
24 |
|
|
21 |
8-2 |
NR |
NR |
|
|
22 |
9-2 |
NR |
25 |
|
|
23 |
7-2 |
23 |
NR |
|
|
24 |
8-2 |
14 |
20 |
|
|
25 |
9-2 |
16 |
NR |
|
|
NR |
9-1 |
NR |
18 |
|
|
NR |
7-3 |
NR |
19 |
|
|
NR |
9-1 |
NR |
22 |
|
|
NR |
8-2 |
NR |
23 |
Auburn or Tennessee at No. 1?
I’ve stored Auburn at No. 1 over Tennessee, and you possibly can say that’s a controversial stance since a majority of voters have Tennessee. Tennessee’s argument bought stronger this week with Saturday’s win at Illinois, however Auburn nonetheless has the higher resume. The Tigers lead faculty basketball with 5 wins over KenPom top-40 groups. Only one group (Marquette) has 4, after which there’s a bunch of 5 with three. Tennessee has two.
I don’t suppose it’s egregious to rank the Vols No. 1, however most are doing so as a result of Tennessee is undefeated and Auburn isn’t. There are a couple of locations the place you get a cross for a highway loss, and Cameron Indoor Stadium is considered one of them. Also, Auburn’s resume might get even higher this week with Saturday’s sport towards Purdue in Birmingham, the subsequent likelihood so as to add to that top-40 wins whole. — CJ Moore, faculty basketball author
Dayton joins Top 25
The Flyers are available at No. 25 on my ballot and likewise made their season debut within the AP ballot. The Flyers have now been ranked in 4 of the final six seasons and at all times run stunning offense, and it’s a very good time to acknowledge the job that coach Anthony Grant has carried out there.
His success since seven solid-but-not-spectacular seasons at Alabama is an effective reminder that typically it isn’t clever to write down off good coaches who can’t break by at high-major packages. Dayton was already a extremely good job earlier than he bought there, however I’d argue it’s among the best mid-major-plus jobs in faculty hoops, and Grant has solely helped enhance its profile. — Moore
(Photo: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
