Wisconsin men’s basketball: AP Poll Week 14

We’re somehow rounding the corner into spring (well, we can only hope) and college basketball is doing its thing. Let’s look at the rankings, which somehow, the Wisconsin Badgers are still in against all odds.

Big Ten

Michigan → No. 3
Ohio State → No. 4
Illinois → No. 5
Iowa → No. 9
Wisconsin → No. 23

Nationwide View

• Well The (basketball) Game lived up to the hype, and clearly the pollsters still feel that Michigan and Ohio State should stay No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, despite Michigan’s thrilling 92-87 win over the Buckeyes on Sunday. It’s another case, I think, of just how clear it is this year that there are only a few really really good teams that there were no changes at all in the top-five from last week. It might be cliche to say at this stage, but that really did feel like a tournament game, and I think Michigan proved why it’s currently the class of the Big Ten.

• The UVa Cavaliers have the dubious distinction of being the biggest droppers in the poll this week. Virginia fell eight spots to No. 15 in the nation after a loss to Florida State on Monday — the Noles now hold the top spot in the conference — and an upset by those scrappy upstarts called the Duke Blue Devils (ever heard of them?).
• This week, the Kansas Jayhawks once again flew up into the higher spots of the AP Poll into the No. 17 slot. A win over rival Kansas State and a 67-61 take down of the Texas Tech Red Raiders helped put the Jayhawks back into the top three of the Big 12. Although it doesn’t look like they’ll catch undefeated Baylor, Kansas has a chance to solidify their status in the AP Poll this week with a big showdown against the No. 14 Texas Longhorns Tuesday.

New Teams

AP Poll → None

Drop Outs

AP Poll → None