NCAA Basketball Top 25 Straw Poll: Week 3

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This past week in college basketball, a number of top 25 teams went down. Three top five teams went down as Kentucky fell to Duke, NC State lost to Oklahoma State and Kansas was upended by Michigan State.

In the midst of all the upsets, two new teams entered the top 25: Oklahoma State and Connecticut.

(Please note: All votes were sent in and compiled prior to the conclusion of the Connecticut v. Quinnipiac game.)

Voters: Jesse Kramer, Dan Vasta, Robert Pace, Thad Novak, Rollin Yeatts, Ryan Satsky, Jon Hancock, Scott Polacek, Josh Schoch, Gene Siudut, Jordan Schwartz, Matt Overing

Others Receiving Votes

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San Diego State, 28 points

Colorado, 18 points

Notre Dame, 17 points

Kansas State, 16 points

Marquette, 12 points

Minnesota, six points

Ohio, five points

Pittsburgh, three points

Maryland, three points

Murray State, one point

St. Joseph's, one point

VCU, one point

Wisconsin Badgers

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Points: 29

Record: 2-1

Previous Ranking: 20

Wisconsin suffered its first loss of the season this week, falling to Florida, 74-56. The Badgers then rebounded with an easy win over Cornell on Sunday.

T-23. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Points: 35

Record: 4-0

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Oklahoma State cracked the top 25 this week despite receiving no votes last week, thanks to a Puerto Rico Tip-Off championship. In the tourney, the Cowboys defeated Akron, Tennessee and NC State.

T-23. Texas Longhorns

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Points: 35

Record: 2-0

Previous Ranking: 25

Texas moved to 2-0 with a win over Coppin State this week. In the victory, the Longhorns struggled with turnovers, coughing up the ball 26 times.

On Monday, they play their first Maui Invitational game against Chaminade. 

22. Cincinnati Bearcats

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Points: 59

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 24

Cincinnati remained undefeated with wins over Mississippi Valley State and North Carolina A&T this week. Through three games, the Bearcats are 3-0 with an average margin of victory of 39.7 points.

21. Connecticut Huskies

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Points: 62

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Connecticut is off to a strong start this season, defeating all three of its opponents. The Huskies already have a top 15 win under their belt from defeating Michigan State in their season opener.

20. Baylor Bears

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Points: 67

Record: 4-1

Previous Ranking: 11

Baylor kept itself from falling too far in the rankings by outlasting St. John's in the third-place game of the Charleston Classic for a 97-78 win.

Senior Pierre Jackson remains the driving force for the Bears. On Sunday, he posted 19 points and eight assists while junior Brady Heslip scored 29 points and made eight three-pointers.

19. Gonzaga Bulldogs

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Points: 76

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 22

Gonzaga has dominated its competition through the first three games, winning by an average of 36.7 points per game.

This week, the Zags will be the favorite to win the Old Spice Classic. They will play Clemson on Thursday, UTEP or Oklahoma on Friday and Davidson, Vanderbilt, Marist or West Virginia on Sunday.

18. Memphis Tigers

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Points: 83

Record: 2-0

Previous Ranking: 18

Memphis survived Samford's upset bid on Sunday and will head to the Battle 4 Atlantis with an undefeated record. In the Bahamas, the Tigers will face VCU on Thursday and Duke or Minnesota on Friday.

17. Michigan State Spartans

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Points: 97

Record: 2-1

Previous Ranking: 19

Michigan State responded to its season-opening loss to Connecticut with wins over Kansas and Texas Southern this week. The Spartans continue a relatively easy homestand this week with games against Boise State, Oakland and Louisiana-Lafayette.

16. Creighton Bluejays

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Points: 114

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 17

Creighton defeated UAB and Presbyterian this week to stay undefeated. The Bluejays play another easy game against Longwood on Tuesday, and then hit one of the tougher parts of their schedule, facing Wisconsin and then either Arkansas or Arizona State in the Las Vegas Invitational. 

15. UNLV Rebels

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Points: 120

Record: 2-0

Previous Ranking: 16

UNLV easily defeated Northern Arizona and Jacksonville State in its first two games of the year.

The Rebels will get their first test this week when they play Oregon and then either Cincinnati or Iowa State in the Global Sports Classic. 

14. Missouri Tigers

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Points: 122

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 15

Missouri has cruised to three, double-digit victories to open the season. Granted, the opponents have been low-level mid-majors, but the Tigers have four players averaging 10 or more points per game.

13. Kansas Jayhawks

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Points: 166

Record: 2-1

Previous Ranking: 5

After a close loss to Michigan State, Kansas struggled in the first half against Chattanooga, trailing by eight points at the break. The Jayhawks managed to find their groove in the second half and won by 14 behind freshman Ben McLemore's 25 points.

Next up for Kansas is Washington State in the CBE Classic, and then either Texas A&M or Saint Louis.

12. Arizona Wildcats

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Points: 169

Record: 2-0

Previous Ranking: 13

After struggling in a win over Charleston Southern in its season opener, Arizona cruised to a victory over UTEP on Thursday. Xavier transfer Mark Lyons led all scorers with 17 points, and Solomon Hill turned in a well-rounded performance with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.

11. North Carolina Tar Heels

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Points: 175

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 12

North Carolina struggled in the first half against Long Beach State on Friday, but the Tar Heels pulled away in the second half for a 78-63 win. Sophomore James Michael McAdoo put together another strong game with 18 points and nine rebounds.

This coming week, UNC will get three high-quality opponents in the Maui Invitational, starting with Mississippi State on Monday.

10. UCLA Bruins

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Points: 186

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 14

UCLA survived an overtime scare from UC Irvine and then blew out James Madison in its two games this week. Freshman Jordan Adams has emerged as the team's most talented scorer with 24 points per game on 55.9 percent shooting.

More importantly, the NCAA reinstated freshman Shabazz Muhammad, the top recruit in Ben Howland's 2012 class. Muhammad will be ready to play starting Monday against Georgetown.

9. NC State Wolfpack

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Points: 197

Record: 3-1

Previous Ranking: 4

NC State breezed through its first three games, winning them by an average of 24.3 points. But on Sunday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off championship, the Wolfpack fell apart and lost to Oklahoma State by 20.

8. Kentucky Wildcats

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Points: 209

Record: 2-1

Previous Ranking: 3

Kentucky was upset by Duke early in the week, but the Wildcats rebounded with an easy, 101-49 win over Lafayette on Friday night.

After making only three three-pointers against the Blue Devils, the Wildcats lit it up with 11 against the Leopards. More notably, they forced 27 Lafayette turnovers.

7. Florida Gators

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Points: 226

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 9

Florida improved to 3-0 with wins over Wisconsin and Middle Tennessee this week. The Gators defense has been stifling so far, with no team scoring more than 56 points against them.

6. Syracuse Orange

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Points: 235

Record: 2-0

Previous Ranking: 8

Syracuse followed up its impressive win over San Diego State with a 88-57 victory over Wagner.

In the Orange's win, Brandon Triche led all scorers with 21 points while James Southerland and Baye Keita each added 15 off the bench. Also, sophomore Michael Carter-Williams posted six points, six rebounds and 11 assists.

5. Duke Blue Devils

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Points: 243

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 10

Last Tuesday, Duke picked up an impressive victory over No. 3 Kentucky at the Champions Classic. The Blue Devils followed that with a blowout win over Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday night. 

4. Michigan Wolverines

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Points: 249

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 6

Michigan has won its first three games of the season by an average of 35 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. has been red hot to start the year, averaging 17.3 points and shooting 72.7 percent on three-pointers.

The Wolverines get their first major test in the NIT Season Tip-Off this week with games against Pittsburgh and either Delaware or Kansas State.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

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Points: 250

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 7

Ohio State won a pair of games this weekend over Rhode Island and Washington at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off. Next up for the Buckeyes is UMKC before they travel to Cameron Indoor to face the Duke Blue Devils.

2. Louisville Cardinals

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Points: 288

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 2

Louisville has banged up its lesser opponents so far this season with wins over Manhattan, Samford and Miami (OH).

The Cardinals will play in the Battle 4 Atlantis this week, taking on Northern Iowa on Thursday.

1. Indiana Hoosiers

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Points: 300

Record: 3-0

Previous Ranking: 1

Indiana unsurprisingly remains No. 1 in the country. The Hoosiers have cruised through their first three games with an average margin of victory of 41 points.

However, the string of cupcakes to open the season is over. In the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center, Indiana will play Georgia on Monday and then either UCLA or Georgetown on Tuesday.