NCAA Basketball Top 25 Straw Poll: Week 15

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The past week was a hectic one in college basketball, to say the least. Four of the teams in the top five lost, and the only one of that group to avoid a loss, Duke, only beat Boston College by one point.

The week was filled with upsets and last-second thrillers, causing a pretty big shake-up in the rankings.

Three different teams received votes for No. 1, and overall 41 teams received at least one vote.

Read on to see the complete Top 25.

 

Voters: Jesse Kramer, Scott Polacek, Robert Pace, Thad Novak, Scott Henry, Joe Tansey, Matt Overing, Ryan Satsky, Hayden Deitrick, Gene Siudut, Dan Vasta.

Others Receiving Votes

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San Diego State, 26 points

Creighton, 21 points

UCLA, 17 points

Minnesota, 16 points

VCU, 16 points

Cincinnati, 15 points

Oregon, 14 points

North Carolina, 11 points

NC State, 10 points

Illinois, 8 points

Saint Louis, 7 points

Baylor, 5 points

Middle Tennessee, 3 points

St. Mary's, 3 points

Indiana State, 2 points

Akron, 1 point

25. Missouri Tigers

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Points: 28

Record: 17-6, 6-4 SEC

Last Week's Rank: 24

Notable Wins: VCU (Neutral), Illinois (Neutral)

Missouri's road struggles continued as the Tigers fell at Texas A&M on Thursday, but they rebounded with a 98-79 thrashing of Ole Miss on Saturday. Alex Oriakhi, Phil Pressey and Keion Bell combined for 65 points, and Oriakhi had a double-double with 18 rebounds.

Missouri, still looking for its first true road win, will hit the road once again this week to face Mississippi State and Arkansas.

T-23. Colorado State Rams

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Points: 31

Record: 19-4, 6-2 MWC

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: UNLV (Home)

Colorado State enters the Top 25 this week after defeating Nevada to keep a spot in second place in the Mountain West.

Although the Rams have only one truly great win, they are ranked No. 15 in RPI.

T-23. Kentucky Wildcats

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Points: 31

Record: 17-6, 8-2 SEC

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Ole Miss (Road)

This Kentucky team might finally be coming together with wins in their last five games and seven victories in their last eight.

The Wildcats will be tested on Tuesday at Florida with a shot at a share of first place in the SEC.

22. Marquette Golden Eagles

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Points: 33

Record: 17-5, 8-2 Big East

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Wisconsin (Home), Georgetown (Home), Pitt (Road)

Marquette has won four of its last five games and is tied with Syracuse for first place in the Big East.

The Golden Eagles' next two games are against Top 25 opponents Georgetown and Pittsburgh.

21. Wisconsin Badgers

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Points: 37

Record: 17-7, 8-3 Big Ten

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Indiana (Road), Minnesota (Home), Michigan (Home)

Wisconsin outlasted Michigan in overtime, thanks to a Ben Brust prayer from half court that forced the extra period, to tie the Wolverines for third place in the Big Ten and move within one game of first place.

The Badgers will face a pair of high-quality teams this week, Minnesota and Ohio State.

20. Memphis Tigers

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Points: 55

Record: 20-3, 9-0 C-USA

Last Week's Rank: T-21

Notable Wins: Southern Miss (Road)

Memphis knocked off Southern Miss on the road on Saturday to increase its first-place lead in Conference USA to two games.

Geron Johnson had 25 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals, and Chris Crawford posted 16 points, four rebounds and six assists off the bench.

19. New Mexico Lobos

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Points: 59

Record: 20-4, 7-2 MWC

Last Week's Rank: 15

Notable Wins: UConn (Neutral), Cincinnati (Road), UNLV (Home)

New Mexico's three-game winning streak ended with a loss at UNLV on Saturday.

The Lobos are now only 2-2 in conference road games, and they still have to play Colorado State and Air Force on the road.

18. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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Points: 62

Record: 19-5, 7-4 Big East

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Kentucky (Home), Cincinnati (Road), Louisville (Home)

Thanks to a five-overtime victory over the Louisville Cardinals, Notre Dame is back in the Top 25. 

The Fighting Irish are now tied for fifth place in the Big East.

17. Pittsburgh Panthers

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Points: 103

Record: 20-5, 8-4 Big East

Last Week's Rank: T-21

Notable Wins: Georgetown (Road), Syracuse (Home), Cincinnati (Road)

Pittsburgh has worked itself to within one game of first place in the Big East by winning seven of its last eight games. On Saturday, the Panthers won at Cincinnati for their second road win against a Top 25 team.

This week, they have two more nationally ranked opponents in Marquette and Notre Dame.

16. Georgetown Hoyas

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Points: 116

Record: 17-4, 7-3 Big East

Last Week's Rank: T-21

Notable Wins: UCLA (Neutral), St. John's (Road), Notre Dame (Road), Louisville (Home)

Georgetown nearly had a letdown loss to Rutgers on Saturday, but the Hoyas survived thanks to an outstanding effort from Otto Porter. Porter finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and four assists, and he had a huge three-point play down the stretch.

Three of the Hoyas' next four games are against ranked opponents.

15. Oklahoma State Cowboys

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Points: 118

Record: 17-5, 7-3 Big 12

Last Week's Rank: 20

Notable Wins: NC State (Neutral), Iowa State (Home), Kansas (Road)

Oklahoma State has been the hottest team in the Big 12, winning five consecutive games and six of its last seven. Last week, the Cowboys survived Baylor in overtime and then defeated the struggling Texas Longhorns on the road.

Next up for the Cowboys is Texas Tech on Wednesday.

14. Kansas Jayhawks

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Points: 134

Record: 19-4, 7-3 Big 12

Last Week's Rank: 4

Notable Wins: Saint Louis (Neutral), Colorado (Home), Ohio State (Road), Kansas State (Road)

After a dominating 19-1 start to the season, Kansas has lost its last three games to Oklahoma State, Texas Christian and Oklahoma. 

This week, the Jayhawks will host Kansas State and Texas, both of which they beat on the road earlier in the year.

T-12. Louisville Cardinals

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Points: 138

Record: 19-5, 7-4 Big East

Last Week's Rank: 12

Notable Wins: Missouri (Neutral), Memphis (Road), Pitt (Home), Marquette (Home)

After blowing out Rutgers earlier in the week, Louisville lost a thrilling, five-overtime game at Notre Dame 104-101. Just so we're clear, five overtimes is more than an entire extra half of basketball.

The Cardinals' next four opponents are all unranked, but then they finish the season with three Top 25 teams.

T-12. Ohio State Buckeyes

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Points: 138

Record: 17-6, 7-4 Big Ten

Last Week's Rank: T-8

Notable Wins: Michigan (Home), Wisconsin (Home)

Ohio State failed to capitalize on a pair of big opportunities last week. The Buckeyes lost in overtime at No. 3 Michigan and then fell by 13 points to No. 1 Indiana at home.

This week will be a bit easier, as they face Northwestern and Wisconsin.

11. Butler Bulldogs

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Points: 147

Record: 20-4, 7-2 A10

Last Week's Rank: 13

Notable Wins: Marquette (Neutral), Indiana (Neutral), Gonzaga (Home)

Butler struggled down the stretch against George Washington on Saturday, but the Bulldogs eked out a 59-56 win to remain atop the Atlantic 10 standings.

This week, the Bulldogs will face Charlotte and Fordham.

10. Kansas State Wildcats

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Points: 153

Record: 19-4, 8-2 Big 12

Last Week's Rank: 16

Notable Wins: Florida (Neutral), Oklahoma State (Home)

With its win over Iowa State on Saturday, Kansas State moved into sole possession of first place in the Big 12.

The Wildcats will play at Kansas on Monday night, and with a win they would extend their lead over the Jayhawks to two games.

9. Arizona Wildcats

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Points: 169

Record: 20-3, 8-3 Pac-12

Last Week's Rank: 6

Notable Wins: Florida (Home), San Diego State (Neutral), Miami-FL (Neutral)

Arizona suffered another setback at home on Sunday night, as it was defeated by California 77-69.

The Wildcats will face a tough Colorado team on the road on Thursday. The Buffaloes sit at 5-5 in the Pac-12 and 15-7 overall.

8. Syracuse Orange

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Points: 219

Record: 20-3, 8-2 Big East

Last Week's Rank: T-10

Notable Wins: San Diego State (Neutral), Louisville (Road), Cincinnati (Home), Notre Dame (Home)

After losing back-to-back games on the road, Syracuse returned home to defeat Notre Dame and St. John's, extending its winning streak at the Carrier Dome to 37 games.

The Orange will hit the road again this week to face Connecticut and Seton Hall.

7. Florida Gators

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Points: 220

Record: 19-3, 9-1 SEC

Last Week's Rank: 2

Notable Wins: Wisconsin (Home), Marquette (Home), Missouri (Home)

Florida lost in embarrassing fashion at Arkansas, 80-69, in a game where the score did not fully reflect how much the Gators were dominated. On Saturday, they responded with an 83-58 blowout of Mississippi State.

This week, the Gators will host second-place Kentucky.

6. Gonzaga Bulldogs

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Points: 223

Record: 23-2, 10-0 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 7

Notable Wins: Kansas State (Neutral), Oklahoma State (Road)

Gonzaga easily defeated Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount at home last week to remain undefeated in conference play.

On Thursday, the Bulldogs will travel to St. Mary's, which is a half-game behind the Zags at 10-1 in the WCC.

5. Michigan Wolverines

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Points: 225

Record: 21-3, 8-3 Big Ten

Last Week's Rank: 3

Notable Wins: Pitt (Neutral), K-State (Neutral), NC State (Home), Minnesota (Road), Ohio State (Home)

Michigan survived Ohio State in overtime by two points on Tuesday, but the Wolverines lost at Wisconsin on Saturday by three points in a game that also went to overtime. The Wolverines' last three games have been decided by an average of 4.3 points.

On Tuesday, Michigan has another tough road game against in-state rival Michigan State.

4. Michigan State Spartans

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Points: 229

Record: 20-4, 9-2 Big Ten

Last Week's Rank: T-8

Notable Wins: Kansas (Neutral), Ohio State (Home), Wisconsin (Road), Minnesota (Home)

Michigan State's only loss in 2013 came by five points at Indiana, which is tied with the Spartans for first place in the Big Ten.

On Tuesday, the Spartans will go for their fifth win over a Top 25 team when they host Michigan.

3. Miami (FL) Hurricanes

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Points: 235

Record: 19-3, 10-0 ACC

Last Week's Rank: T-10

Notable Wins: Michigan State (Home), Duke (Home), NC State (Road)

Miami continued its domination in the ACC with an 87-61 thrashing of North Carolina on Saturday. Four Hurricanes scored in double figures with Shane Larkin's 18 points and eight assists leading the way.

The Hurricanes have now won 11 games in a row, and they play at Florida State and Clemson this week.

2. Duke Blue Devils

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Points: 254

Record: 21-2, 8-2 ACC

Last Week's Rank: 5

Notable Wins: Minnesota (Neutral), VCU (Neutral), Louisville (Neutral), Ohio State (Home), NC State (Home)

Duke survived a close game at Boston College on Sunday night to remain within two games of Miami in the ACC. 

The Blue Devils host North Carolina on Wednesday for the first meeting of the season between the two archrivals. 

1. Indiana Hoosiers

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Points: 265

Record: 21-3, 9-2 Big Ten

Last Week's Rank: 1

Notable Wins: Georgetown (Neutral), Minnesota (Home), Michigan State (Home), Michigan (Home), Ohio State (Road)

Indiana remained tied for first place in the Big Ten by winning at Ohio State on Saturday.

The Hoosiers now have five wins over Top 25 teams, and they will host Nebraska and Purdue this week.