The latest AP Poll is out. Here’s what caught our eye.
It’s Monday, which means the newest iteration of the AP Top 25 has been released. Last week featured a couple of high profile matchups that had ramifications for voters’ ballots. What do we make of the polls biggest shakeups?
1. Louisville makes a justifiable leap
The biggest game last week took place in the Bluegrass State as Kentucky and Louisville met up for their annual non-conference clash. The Cardinals came away with a hard fought 73-70 win that helped bolster their claim to be in the national title conversation. Louisville was rewarded with a jump from 10th to sixth in the latest poll, the largest upward move of the week.
2. South Carolina falls out after losing to Clemson
The Gamecocks continued their tumble without leading scorer Sindarius Thornwell by falling out of the poll after being ranked 22nd last week. The drop was precipitated by a 62-60 home loss to Clemson on Wednesday night, which makes the fall a bit more questionable. Thornwell averages 18.7 points per game and without him on the court, South Carolina has become increasingly reliant on freshmen. To play a close game with a full-strength Clemson team isn’t much of an indictment, but losses get you dinged when it comes to the polls, I guess, so the Gamecocks will have to fight their way back into the rankings.
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3. The top five continues to stay the same
For the fourth straight week, the top five remains unchanged. Villanova, UCLA, Kansas, Baylor and Duke all held serve in the days leading up to Christmas, but with conference play around the corner, it’s time to prepare for much more volatility at the top of the rankings. Those changes could come as soon as next week as all five teams will play a road game against an opponent ranked in KenPom’s top 60.