“AP voters smoking that old school crack”: College hoops fans disapprove poll’s ranking after Week 1
NCAA college basketball fans showed dissatisfaction as the Associated Press released its updated men's rankings on Monday after the opening week.
While Kansas, Alabama and UConn retained their spots in the top three, Gonzaga climbed two spots and took Houston's spot at No. 4, while the Cougars dropped to No. 8. Auburn rose six places to take the fifth spot, followed by Duke and Iowa State. Arizona and North Carolina completed the top 10 spots.
Fans vented on social media to express their displeasure with the updated rankings.
One user said:
"The AP voters have been smoking that old school crack."
"Why such disparity in rankings for similarly performing teams?" another user added.
"Is this a joke?" a user wrote.
College hoop fans also pointed out that the AP made questionable updates on the leaderboard, especially on teams that performed well in Week 1.
"Baylor dropped after beating Arkansas?" a user asked.
"Tennessee beat Louisville on the road and went up 1 spot 😑" another user remarked.
Tennessee, Baylor, Purdue, Creighton and Marquette missed out on making the top 10. Meanwhile, Indiana, Cincinnati, Arkansas, Kentucky and Florida made the top 20 while Ohio State, St. John's, Texas A&M, Rutgers and Ole Miss completed the Top 25.
Other teams who also received votes but missed the list are Illinois, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, Xavier, Texas and Michigan State.
Which teams had significant drops?
Among the Top 25 teams, Texas A&M dropped 10 spots lower than its previous rank at 13 after unranked UCF edged the Aggies out 64-61 in the season opener.
Despite a massive 97-40 win over Jackson State to open the season, Houston's defeat to Auburn made the Cougars lose four spots and drop to No. 8. Baylor also dropped four places after splitting results with No. 4 Gonzaga (101-63 loss) and No. 18 Arkansas (72-67 win).
Iowa State still has an unblemished record, but it dropped two places, placing them at No. 7. The drop for the Cyclones is mainly due to the rise of the other ranked teams.
Which teams made the biggest leaps?
After a one-sided 93-44 win against Vermont, the Auburn Tigers surprised the Houston Cougars with a 74-69 win at the Battleground 2k24, which earned them six spots.
Gonzaga also cracked into the top four with wins against Baylor and Arizona State. Duke's 30-point victories against Maine (96-62) and Army (100-58) pushed them one spot higher. The same goes with the Arizona Wildcats, who were one-sided winners against Canisius (93-64) and Old Dominion (102-44).
Ohio State was the biggest riser outside the top 10 schools, climbing five spots after an 80-72 win over No. 19 Texas. The Kentucky Wildcats also increased by four places after scoring 100 points in wins over Wright State and Bucknell. The St. John's Red Storm also ascended four places with victories over Fordham and Quinnipiac.