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Associated Press Top 25 men's basketball poll: Jerry Carino's ballot

jerry carino, asbury park press
·2 min read
6

  1. Purdue (22-2)

  2. Alabama (20-3)

  3. Houston (22-2)

  4. Arizona (21-3)

  5. Texas (19-4)

  6. Tennessee (19-4)

  7. UCLA (19-4)

  8. Marquette (19-5)

  9. Kansas (18-5)

  10. Iowa St. (16-6)

  11. Virginia (17-4)

  12. Saint Mary's (21-4)

  13. Gonzaga (19-5)

  14. Xavier (19-5)

  15. Kansas St. (18-5)

  16. Baylor (17-6)

  17. Creighton (15-8)

  18. Providence (17-6)

  19. Miami (18-5)

  20. TCU (17-6)

  21. Rutgers (16-7)

  22. Indiana (16-7)

  23. N.C. State (19-5)

  24. Florida Atlantic (22-2)

  25. San Diego State (18-5)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Paul Mulcahy (4) runs up court after a basket in front of Michigan State Spartans guard Tyson Walker (2) and forward Malik Hall (25) during the second half at Madison Square Garden.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Paul Mulcahy (4) runs up court after a basket in front of Michigan State Spartans guard Tyson Walker (2) and forward Malik Hall (25) during the second half at Madison Square Garden.

Dropped out: No. 20 Clemson (18-6) after losing to Boston College and Miami; No. 24 UConn (18-6), which hasn’t beaten anyone of note in a month; No. 25 Auburn (17-6) after losing to Tennessee.

Entered: Creighton, winners of six straight, at No. 17; Rutgers, which holds sole possession of second place in the Big Ten after beating Michigan State, at No. 21; N.C. State, winners of four straight, at No. 23.

Also considered: Nevada (18-6), Illinois (16-7), Duke (17-6), Iowa (15-8).

Analysis: Despite losing at Indiana, Purdue remains No. 1 thanks a 9-2 record against Quad 1 and an 11-1 road/neutral ledger. That’s a resume above and beyond what anyone else has…Alabama, by comparison, is 6-3 against Quad 1 and 9-3 road/neutral…St. Mary’s and Marquette are the big risers, jumping six spots apiece – St. Mary’s for beating Gonzaga, Marquette because the Golden Eagles continue to be under-ranked…the idea that FAU and San Diego State should drop out because of one loss is BS. Both fell to quality opponents on the road.

By conference: Big 12 (6), Big East (4), ACC (3), Big Ten (3), West Coast (2), Pac-12 (2), SEC (2), American (1), Conference USA (1), Mountain West (1).

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: AP Top 25 basketball poll: Jerry Carino's ballot