Three Thoughts on the AP Men’s Top 25 Poll for February 6
Six Big 12 teams are among the nation’s best as the Associated Press Men’s Basketball Top 25 was released after the season’s 13th week of games.
Here are our three thoughts on the poll from a Big 12 perspective.
Texas Is the Clear Leader
After a week in which Texas beat Baylor and Kansas State, there was no question the Longhorns would be the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the Top 25. The only question was how far they would move up. The Longhorns moved up to No. 5 from No. 10 last week. Now, that doesn’t mean that Texas will win the Big 12 regular season title. But with a one-game lead over Iowa State and a two-game lead over the other ranked teams, Texas is in a solid position to claim one of the Top 2 seeds in Kansas City. The play of guard Sir’Jabari Rice off the bench fueled the Longhorns last week. It gets no easier this week, as Texas has to go to Kansas on Monday.
A Big 12 Bunch Below the Top 10
It was an interesting week for Iowa State, Kansas State, and Baylor. The Cyclones lost a 23-point lead to Texas Tech and eventually lost on the road but bounced back to beat Kansas at home on Saturday. That led to the Cyclones getting a two-spot bump in the poll. Kansas State lost to both Kansas and Texas, dropped five spots, and is now No. 12. Baylor absorbed a narrow loss to Texas on the road and then beat Texas Tech at home but dropped three spots. To me, it makes sense that Kansas State dropped five spots. The other two? I’m scratching my head just a bit.
Time to Watch TCU
TCU only dropped two spots in a week in which it beat West Virginia at home and then fell to Oklahoma State on the road. But the week ahead is a big week for the Horned Frogs. They face Kansas State and Baylor, both of which are ranked ahead of them. Sweep the week and the Horned Frogs should take a big jump. Split for the week and the Horned Frogs should stay where they are. Get swept? Then there’s a chance the Horned Frogs could fall out of the poll completely. Keep an eye on starters Eddie Lampkin and Mike Miles as both are injured and it’s not clear if they’ll play this week.
This Week’s AP Top 25 Poll
No. 1 Purdue, No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Arizona, No. 5 Texas, No. 6 Tennessee, No. 7 UCLA, No. 8 Virginia, No. 9 Kansas, No. 10 Marquette, No. 11 Iowa State, No. 12 Kansas State, No. 13 Xavier, No. 14 Baylor, No. 15 Saint Mary’s, No. 16 Gonzaga, No. 17 TCU, No. 18 Indiana, No. 19 Miami (FL), No. 20 Providence, No. 21 UConn, No. 22 North Carolina State, No. 23 Creighton, No. 24 Rutgers, No. 25 San Diego State. Big 12 teams receiving votes: West Virginia, 5.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
