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I don't think this will surprise any of you, but Minnesota did not crack the AP Top 25 men's basketball rankings following their loss to (now) #7 Louisville on Friday night. That said, the loss didn't really hurt them in the rankings either (nor should it), as the Gophers fell from #31 in the Others Receiving Votes category to #33. The normal caveats about the rankings not mattering at all (especially this early) and the fact that the Gophers will rise if they win in the Big Ten apply of course. Regardless, it's still fun to see how the program is perceived nationally and in general the perception remains positive.
Here's the full rankings:
AP Top 25
| RANK | TEAM (1st) | POINTS | PREV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky Wildcats (49) | 1574 | 1 |
| 2 | Arizona Wildcats (4) | 1491 | 2 |
| 3 | Wisconsin Badgers (7) | 1475 | 3 |
| 4 | Duke Blue Devils (4) | 1422 | 4 |
| 5 | Kansas Jayhawks | 1306 | 5 |
| 6 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 1254 | 6 |
| 7 | Louisville Cardinals | 1130 | 8 |
| 8 | Florida Gators | 1127 | 7 |
| 9 | Virginia Cavaliers | 1065 | 9 |
| 10 | Texas Longhorns | 1061 | 10 |
| 11 | Wichita State Shockers | 1002 | 11 |
| 12 | Villanova Wildcats | 858 | 12 |
| 13 | Gonzaga Bulldogs | 841 | 13 |
| 14 | Iowa State Cyclones | 746 | 14 |
| 15 | Virginia Commonwealth Rams | 654 | 15 |
| 16 | San Diego State Aztecs | 564 | 16 |
| 17 | Connecticut Huskies | 525 | 17 |
| 18 | Oklahoma Sooners | 466 | 19 |
| 19 | Michigan State Spartans | 443 | 18 |
| 20 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 361 | 20 |
| 21 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 298 | 21 |
| 22 | SMU Mustangs | 290 | 22 |
| 23 | Syracuse Orange | 190 | 23 |
| 24 | Michigan Wolverines | 177 | 24 |
| 25 | Utah Utes | 118 | 25 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Stanford (2-0) 63; Colorado (1-0) 52; Iowa (1-0) 48; UCLA (2-0) 41; Kansas State (1-0) 29; Arkansas (1-0) 23; Memphis (0-0) 11; Minnesota (0-1) 11; Notre Dame (2-0) 10; Pittsburgh (2-0) 10; Louisiana Tech (1-0) 9; Dayton (1-0) 7; Florida State (1-0) 6; North Carolina State (1-0) 6; Oklahoma State (2-0) 6; Cincinnati (1-0) 5; George Washington (2-0) 5; LSU (1-0) 5; Illinois (2-0) 3; Maryland (1-0) 3; Brigham Young (1-0) 2; Texas-El Paso (1-0) 2; Baylor (1-0) 2; Northern Iowa (1-0) 1; Georgetown (1-0) 1; Stephen F. Austin (1-0) 1 | |||
Upcoming Games to Watch - Minnesota Edition
- The Gophers tip off against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at 7PM CST on ESPN3
Upcoming Games to Watch - Everyone Else
- When you're not watching the Gophers versus Western Kentucky (or perhaps at the same time you're watching since that game is only available on ESPN3) you'll want to check out #4 Duke vs. #19 Michigan State in the State Farm Classic. It tips off at 6PM CST on ESPN.
- Immediately following Duke/MSU is another top ranked matchup at The Classic. The second game features #1 Kentucky vs. #5 Kansas. It's a great non-con game not featuring the Gophers because of the quality of the teams and the easy rooting interests (boo Kentucky). UK/KU tips off at 8PM CST, though I'm sure the actual tipoff will be later than that.
- Fans of mid-majors will want to tune into ESPN this afternoon at 1pm to watch #11 Wichita State take on Memphis.
- If you want a Big Ten non-con matchup that doesn't include Duke, then you'll want keep ESPN2 on in the background while watching Minnesota. The Duece has #20 Ohio State facing off against Marquette at 6:30PM CST.