There’s a shakeup coming to the top five of the men’s college basketball AP Top 25 poll Monday after Saturday’s loss by No. 3 Duke to No. 19 Texas Tech. That one result should move Iowa State to its highest ranking of the season, push UConn higher in the top five after a four-week stint at No. 5 and potentially make Texas Tech the biggest riser come Monday.
How far voters drop Duke, whose loss to Texas Tech was its first of the season, could also play a big role in how the top 10 and beyond looks. Purdue is poised to potentially push its way back into the top five if Duke falls outside the top five, and both Gonzaga and Houston are hot right now and positioned to climb in the event of a precipitous Blue Devils drop.
There’s also some imminent movement coming in the rankings after a noisy CBS Sports Classic on Saturday in which North Carolina held off Ohio State and Kentucky downed St. John’s in dominant fashion. Kentucky entering the rankings and St. John’s falling out is very much in play, and UNC is on the cusp of pushing into the top 10, too.
Kentucky and UNC soar; Free-falling Memphis is down to one NCAA Tournament path
Isaac Trotter
My projection for how voters will cast their ballots is below. There are plenty of moving pieces this week, but the top 10 should largely be the same cast of characters, albeit mostly in shuffling positions.
