College basketball rankings: Florida, Arkansas jump in AP Top 25; undefeated Miami (Ohio) drops in latest poll
There was some strange movement in the final AP Top 25 poll before Selection Sunday
The final AP Top 25 poll before Selection Sunday featured significant movement throughout. Notably, Florida jumped one spot -- ahead of UConn -- and checked in at No. 4 in the poll. The Gators enter the final week before the NCAA Tournament in a prime position to secure the final No. 1 seed later this weekend.
To no surprise, Duke remained No. 1 in the poll. The Blue Devils will likely be the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday, depending on how this week's ACC Tournament goes. Michigan and Arizona, the Nos. 2 and 3 teams in this week's poll, could challenge Duke for the top line.
UConn was the presumptive final No. 1 seed before suffering an upset loss last weekend to Marquette. That loss allowed St. John's to clinch the Big East title outright. St. John's and UConn could be on a collision course to face each other for a third time at the Big East Tournament later this week.
The team that ended St. John's season last year, Arkansas, got a boost in this week's rankings. The Razorbacks jumped three spots to No. 17 after ending the season with a dramatic win over Missouri despite star guard Darius Acuff Jr. not being in the lineup. Arkansas went 2-0 last week with wins over Texas and Missouri after losing to Florida in blowout fashion on the road.
Undefeated Miami (Ohio) dropped a spot, falling from No. 19 last week to No. 20 despite winning its last two regular season games and heads to this week's MAC Tournament with a 31-0 record. Another team that dropped in the rankings this week was Tennessee. The Volunteers dropped two spots to No. 25 in the latest poll after losing to Vanderbilt. Tennessee has lost three of its last four games heading into the SEC Tournament.
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AP Top 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sunday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week's ranking:
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| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke (56) | 29-2 | 1,519 | 1 |
| 2 | Arizona (4) | 29-2 | 1,439 | 2 |
| 3 | Michigan (1) | 29-2 | 1,434 | 3 |
| 4 | Florida | 25-6 | 1,337 | 5 |
| 5 | Houston | 26-5 | 1,241 | 7 |
| 6 | UConn | 27-4 | 1,178 | 4 |
| 7 | Iowa State | 25-6 | 1,137 | 6 |
| 8 | Michigan State | 25-6 | 1,083 | 8 |
| 9 | Illinois | 24-7 | 1,037 | 11 |
| 10 | Virginia | 27-4 | 953 | 13 |
| 11 | Nebraska | 26-5 | 939 | 9 |
| 12 | Gonzaga | 28-3 | 846 | 12 |
| 13 | St. John's | 25-6 | 733 | 18 |
| 14 | Kansas | 22-9 | 608 | 14 |
| 15 | Alabama | 23-8 | 602 | 16 |
| 16 | Texas Tech | 22-9 | 554 | 10 |
| 17 | Arkansas | 23-8 | 532 | 20 |
| 18 | Purdue | 23-8 | 529 | 15 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 24-7 | 488 | 17 |
| 20 | Miami (OH) | 31-0 | 420 | 19 |
| 21 | Saint Mary's | 27-4 | 325 | 21 |
| 22 | Vanderbilt | 24-7 | 323 | 24 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 22-9 | 201 | NR |
| 24 | Louisville | 22-9 | 140 | NR |
| 25 | Tennessee | 21-10 | 72 | 23 |
Others receiving votes: Miami 60, TCU 19, BYU 18, Saint Louis 12, High Point 11, Georgia 10, Villanova 10, UCLA 3, VCU 3, Stephen F Austin 2, Utah State 2, Ohio State 2, Missouri 2, Akron 1.
Miami University ... drops?
One of the biggest surprises of this week's poll is the fact that Miami not only didn't move up, but actually dropped a spot. North Carolina, a team coming off a loss to Duke, moved to the spot (No. 19) the RedHawks held last week. It was one of the most puzzling developments of the week because so many teams in the teens lost at least one game last week. Arkansas moved up to No. 17, which wasn't surprising, but Alabama moved up despite losing to Georgia. Kansas stayed at No. 14 despite losing by double digits to Arizona State on the road. I mean, what are we doing, voters?
Miami should've moved up. At minimum, the RedHawks should've stayed at No. 19. But moving down? Very strange.
The race for No. 2 seeds taking shape
If Florida wins the SEC Tournament this weekend, the Gators will more than likely be the final No. 1 seed (alongside Duke, Michigan and Arizona) on Selection Sunday. If Florida loses before the SEC title game, the door could be open for a team such as UConn or Houston to jump to the No. 1 line. Houston ranked ahead of UConn this week after the Huskies suffered an upset loss. If Selection Sunday were today, I still think the committee would lean toward UConn. Where things could get interesting in a matter of days is if Houston wins the Big 12 and someone other than UConn and Florida wins the Big East and the SEC, respectively.
That could allow Houston to jump to a No. 1 seed. It's complicated, but not impossible.
