AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll: Who’s No. 1? One ballot from the N&O’s Luke DeCock
It’s always both tempting and dangerous to overreact to Week 1 losses, but we had an entire offseason to think about who the top 25 teams in the country are and one loss out of 30-plus games shouldn’t totally overwhelm that quite yet. For me, as a voter, it’s almost like you get one freebie, because a team could still end up 29-1 or something after losing to, say, picking a team at random, James Madison.
And even though it’s at home, a loss to a team like Arizona shouldn’t be held against Duke too strictly, although it certainly acts very heavily in Arizona’s favor. The Wildcats jump from 22 to 4 on this ballot, an admission that I may have underestimated them after seeing them play Friday. Duke drops to 12, and even that feels a little harsh on the team that was No. 1 on this ballot to start the season. Penalize teams for playing good teams, and they’ll stop doing it, which is the last thing we need.
Somewhat accordingly, Michigan State and San Diego State stay in the top 25 after disappointing early losses to solid opponents, but they’re on double-secret probation. Saint Mary’s is out after losing to Weber State. James Madison gets in, not necessarily on the strength of the win in East Lansing alone, but the one-two punch of that and a sneaky-good win on the road at Kent State. Baylor and Princeton are knocking on the door to get in.
This season’s ballots
Luke DeCock’s Week 1 AP Top 25 basketball ballot
1. Kansas (Last week: 2)
2. Purdue (3)
3. Creighton (4)
4. Connecticut (6)
5. Arizona (22)
6. Tennessee (7)
7. USC (8)
8. Houston (9)
9. Marquette (10)
10. North Carolina (11)
11. Gonzaga (12)
12. Duke (1)
13. Texas A&M (13)
14. Florida Atlantic (14)
15. Villanova (15)
16. Alabama (16)
17. Texas (18)
18. Arkansas (20)
19. Kentucky (21)
20. Michigan State (5)
21. TCU (23)
22. San Diego State (19)
23. James Madison (NR)
24. St. John’s (24)
25. Drake (25)
Dropped out: St. Mary’s (17)
Also under consideration: Baylor, Princeton
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This story was originally published November 13, 2023 at 9:27 AM with the headline "AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll: Who’s No. 1? One ballot from the N&O’s Luke DeCock."
