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College Basketball Men’s AP Top 25 Rankings Week 16
Wisconsin Badgers take #1 spot in AP Top 25 for first time in school history, leapfrog #2 Ohio State. Florida Gators drop to #3 as UCLA moves up to #4. Duke Blue Devils return to AP Top 25 after brief hiatus.
The Wisconsin Badgers are the new #1 team in the AP Top 25 after beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers by 13 on Wednesday and following that with a 75-49 pounding of the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday. Wisconsin jumped over the Ohio State Buckeyes to claim the top spot after the Florida Gators lost on Saturday. Wisconsin will be facing the Michigan State Spartans on Tuesday before heading to #2 Ohio State on Sunday.
Preparing themselves to be named #1 the Ohio State Buckeyes found themselves stuck at #2 this week in the AP Top 25. The Buckeyes beat Penn State in a close game on Wednesday 64-62 and then jumped all over Minnesota 85-67 on Sunday. The Buckeyes will take on Penn State this Wednesday before playing host to #1 Wisconsin on Sunday.
The Florida Gators dropped to #3 this week after a disappointing road loss to the then unranked Vanderbilt Commodores 83-70 on Saturday. Earlier in the week the Gators had beaten the then #25 Alabama Crimson Tide 76-67. The Gators continue their SEC schedule with the South Carolina Gamecocks on Wednesday and then the LSU Tigers on Saturday.
UCLA jumped a spot to #4 this week after they beat the Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday and then took care of the then #19 Arizona Wildcats 81-66 on Saturday. The Bruins will face off against the California Golden Bears on Thursday and then host the Stanford Cardinals on Saturday.
Dropping one spot in the AP Top 25 are the #5 North Carolina Tar Heels. The Tra Heels fell to the unranked Virginia Tech Hokies on Tuesday 81-80 but rebounded to beat the then #21 Boston College Eagles by five on Saturday. North Carolina will take on the N.C. State Wolfpack on Wednesday and the Maryland Terrapins on Sunday.
The Kansas Jayhawks moved up three spots to earn the #6 ranking this week. Kansas beat the Colorado Buffaloes 75-46 on Wednesday and then embarrassed the Nebraska Cornhuskers 92-39 on Saturday. Kansas will face their in-state rival the Kansas State Wildcats on Monday and then take on the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday.
The Memphis Tigers were bumped up to #7 this week after they took care of the Tulsa Green Wave 69-52 on Wednesday and then survived against the Gonzaga Bulldogs 78-77 on Saturday. Memphis will now face the Rice Owls on Thursday and then the Houston Cougars on Sunday.
Falling two spots but staying in the AP Top 10 are the #8 Texas A&M Aggies. A&M lost a close one to the Texas Tech Red Raiders 77-75 on Tuesday but beat the Oklahoma Sooners 56-49 on Saturday. The Aggies will be playing the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Wednesday and the Baylor Bears on Saturday.
Washington State continued their crawl back up the AP Top 25 and has landed at #9. The Cougars beat the Washington Huskies 65-61 on Wednesday to move up one spot in the rankings. Washington State will face the #23 Oregon Ducks on Thursday and then travel to take on the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday.
Rounding out the AP Top 10 after falling three spots are the #10 Pittsburgh Panthers. Pittsburgh lost to the then unranked Louisville Cardinals 66-53 last Monday but bounced back to beat Washington 65-61 on Saturday. The Panthers will face the Seton Hall Pirates on Monday and then travel to the #12 Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday.
AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Rankings Week 16
1. Wisconsin (35) 26-2
2. Ohio State (31) 24-3
3. Florida (4) 24-3
4. UCLA (2) 23-3
5. North Carolina 23-4
6. Kansas 23-4
7. Memphis 23-3
8. Texas A&M 22-4
9. Washington State 22-4
10. Pittsburgh 23-4
11. Nevada 24-2
12. Georgetown 20-5
13. Southern Illinois 23-5
14. Air Force 23-4
15. Butler 24-4
16. Marquette 21-7
17. Vanderbilt 18-8
18. Duke 20-7
19. Texas 19-7
20. Louisville 19-8
21. Brigham Young 20-6
22. West Virginia 20-6
23. Oregon 20-7
24. Virginia 18-7
25. Alabama 19-7
