Nevada Sports Net columnist Chris Murray is one of 62 voters in the college basketball AP Top 25 poll. Here is a look at his ballot this week.
On the rise
* Duke: Sixteen Top 25 teams lost at least one game last week, with two ranked teams falling twice, giving Top 25 schools 18 losses. That’s the most carnage we’ve seen in a seven-day period this season. No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Houston took a combined three defeats, giving us a new No. 1 in Duke, which beat Michigan, 68-63, to take over the top spot. All those losses also cleared a spot for Miami (Ohio), which debuted on our ballot at No. 25 after its 27-0 start, albeit with a 0-0 Quad 1 record and 1-0 Quad 2 record. The RedHawks have played the No. 295 record (out of 365 teams), including the No. 360 strength of schedule. That kept them out of my rankings. But a scourge of Top 25 losses opened a spot.
On the fall
* Saint Louis: It’s been a so-so year for mid-major schools with Saint Louis among the best from those conferences. The Billikens, however, lost last week to Rhode Island to take its second loss of the year. That dropped Saint Louis from 15th to 24th on my ballot, joining Gonzaga and Miami (Ohio) as the only non-Power 4 schools in my Top 25. After mid-majors earned just four at-large berths in last year’s NCAA Tournament, those conferences are currently slotted for just two (both from WCC).
Chris Murray’s AP Top 25
1. Duke (2)
2. Michigan (1)
3. Arizona (3)
4. UConn (4)
5. Iowa State (6)
6. Houston (5)
7. Gonzaga (8)
8. Virginia (9)
9. Nebraska (7)
10. Purdue (10)
11. Florida (17)
12. Michigan State (18)
13. St. John’s (16)
14. Illinois (12)
15. Kansas (11)
16. Texas Tech (14)
17. BYU (21)
18. Arkansas (20)
19. Vanderbilt (13)
20. Alabama (23)
21. North Carolina (19)
22. Tennessee (n/r)
23. Louisville (22)
24. Saint Louis (15)
25. Miami (Ohio) (n/r)
Dropped out: Utah State (24); Clemson (25)
Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.