The 19-1 University of Michigan Wolverines tops the Associate Press Top-25 poll this week for the first time since the Fab-5 topped the polls in 1992.
However, the chances are pretty good that the Wolverines will make it four No.-1 ranked team to fall in as many weeks if they fall at No. 3 Indiana Saturday. The Hoosiers are 33-5 all-time versus Michigan at Assembly Hall, including 15-of the last 16. The Wolverines last won in Bloomington in January 2009.
This also marks them as the third team in as many weeks to top the poll in a college basketball season where there appears to be no clear dominant team like, last year's National Champs, the University of Kentucky. ESPN College Basketball analyst Jay Bilas speculated that up 20 teams have a legitimate shot of winning the National Championship this year on last weekend's College Game Day program.
The Kansas Jayhawks, currently ranked No. 2 in the AP poll, better get ready to claim the No. 1 spot.
AP No. 1 (Week 12/Weeks 7-10): Duke
The Blue Devils lost their one-week hold on the AP No. 1 spot when Miami handed Duke the third-worst loss of any AP No. 1 team in history 90-63 last Wednesday in Coral Gables., FL.
Miami went on a 25-1 run midway through the first half, while Duke missed 13 consecutive shots, to transform a 14-13 deficit into a 38-15 lead at the half.
The Hurricanes scored the first seven point of the second half to swell the lead to 49-19. The Blue Devils, playing without starting Senior power forward Brian Kelly, shot 4-29 from behind the arch according to the Associated Press' Steve Wine..
"The crowd I'm sure helped them some," Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "But they didn't need much help."
Duke rebounded by routing Maryland at Cameron Indoor Stadium 84-64 Saturday to improve their record to 17-2. they are currently ranked No. 5 in the AP. poll.
This was the Blue Devils second had the AP No. 1 spot from Weeks seven-ten before they were upset by Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina State 84-76 in Raleigh on January 12. Duke claimed the AP No. 1 spot after rolling to a 15-0 start for the fifth time in their storied history.
Three of the first four times the Blue Devils got off to a 15-0 start, they did not advance past the Sweet-16 of the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN's Sports Center. the other time Duke started out with a 17-0 record and beat the Fab-5 in the Finals to win their second National title in a row in 1992. It looks like I will get my annual wish of seeing the dejected Duke cheerleaders crying (with the smeared Blue-Devil logo on their cheek) when their beloved Blue Devils go down in the Sweet-16!
Miami went on a 25-1 run midway through the first half, while Duke missed 13 consecutive shots, to transform a 14-13 deficit into a 38-15 lead at the half.
The Hurricanes scored the first seven point of the second half to swell the lead to 49-19. The Blue Devils, playing without starting Senior power forward Brian Kelly, shot 4-29 from behind the arch according to the Associated Press' Steve Wine..
"The crowd I'm sure helped them some," Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "But they didn't need much help."
Duke rebounded by routing Maryland at Cameron Indoor Stadium 84-64 Saturday to improve their record to 17-2. they are currently ranked No. 5 in the AP. poll.
This was the Blue Devils second had the AP No. 1 spot from Weeks seven-ten before they were upset by Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina State 84-76 in Raleigh on January 12. Duke claimed the AP No. 1 spot after rolling to a 15-0 start for the fifth time in their storied history.
Three of the first four times the Blue Devils got off to a 15-0 start, they did not advance past the Sweet-16 of the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN's Sports Center. the other time Duke started out with a 17-0 record and beat the Fab-5 in the Finals to win their second National title in a row in 1992. It looks like I will get my annual wish of seeing the dejected Duke cheerleaders crying (with the smeared Blue-Devil logo on their cheek) when their beloved Blue Devils go down in the Sweet-16!
AP No. 1 (Week 11): Louisville
Louisville Cardinals failure to handle prosperity was so bad that they went on a three-game losing streak to commemorate their No. 1 ranking.
The Cardinals, a Final-four team last year, had a three-game road trip facing them upon being ranked No. 1. They understandably lost at No. 6 Syracuse 70-68 in a game that went down to the wire. Villanova outlasted Louisville 74-63 the following Tuesday, and Georgetown eked out a 53-51 classic Big East slug-fest. Louisville ended their skid with a 64-61 win over Pitt last night.
Cardinal center Gorgui Dieng told the AP, "This is a good win for us because Pitt is a good team. I think this win will help us a lot, move our confidence up a little bit too. We take each game as very important. We are playing for a seed so we just bring it every night."
Currently ranked No. 12 in the AP, Louisville will host AP No. 25 Marquette as a sports-viewing appetizer to Super Bowl XLVII Sunday on ESPN at 2 pm.
This team look like the have early-round-upset-special written all over them. I thought the same thing last year and they messed up my bracket by making it to the Final-4. Moral to the story, hear my pick and go with the opposite pick!
AP No. 1 (Preseason-Week 6: Indiana:
Perennial Mid-major Butler pulled a 88-86 overtime upset victory over Preseason No. 1 Indiana in the Crossroad Classic at Indianapolis's Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 12, 2012."Butler sophomore walk-on Alex Barlow drove the lane and hit a short runner with 2.5 seconds left to give the Bulldogs an 88-86 victory over the top-ranked Hoosiers," according to USA Today's Terry Hutchens.
The Hoosiers', currently ranked AP No. 3, other loss came against Wisconsin at home. Wisconsin has beater Indiana the eight times they've met--the Badgers own them!
That said, Indiana has the look of a team that can make a Final-Four run with a veteran and athletic back-court with 6-foot Senior Jordan Hulls and 6-foot 5 Junior Vicotr Oladipo and a physical front-court 7-foot Sophmore center Cody Zeller and 6-foot 9 Senior forward Christian Watford and gain valuable tournament experience losing to Kentucky 102-90 in the Sweet-16 (They arguably gave Kentucky their toughest test in the tournament last year).
No comments:
Post a Comment