AP College Basketball Poll 2015: Complete Week 7 Rankings Released

Another week, another slew of surprising results and intriguing matchups in college basketball.

While the schedule was a bit lighter for most schools, the rankings nonetheless saw a major change near the top. Let's take a look at the new rankings and break down the biggest results from the past week.  

Rank	Team	Record	Points
1	Michigan State (64)	12-0	1,623
2	Kansas (1)	9-1	1,537
3	Oklahoma	8-0	1,495
4	Maryland	10-1	1,428
5	Virginia	9-1	1,350
6	Xavier	11-0	1,287
7	North Carolina	9-2	1,215
8	Arizona	11-1	1,056
9	Butler	9-1	947
10	Providence	11-1	911
11	Iowa State	9-1	907
12	Kentucky	9-2	856
13	Miami (FL)	9-1	851
14	Purdue	11-1	833
15	Duke	9-2	809
16	Louisville	9-1	652
17	Villanova	8-2	649
18	SMU	9-0	628
19	West Virginia	9-1	470
20	George Washington	10-1	366
21	Texas A&M	9-2	327
22	Cincinnati	10-2	315
23	Baylor	8-2	141
24	Utah	9-2	107
25	South Carolina	10-0	87

Analysis

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

While No. 1 Michigan State had just one game this week, an easy victory over Northeastern, several other programs atop the college basketball world made statements.

Ohio State shocked the country with a 74-67 victory over Kentucky on Saturday, stunning a Wildcats team whose only other loss this season came against UCLA. Not only was Ohio State unranked coming into that game, but it had also lost five of its last eight contests.

The Buckeyes weren't surprised they pulled off the victory, however, as forward Marc Loving told the Associated Press (via ESPN.com):

"

Just playing a team the caliber of Kentucky, everybody thinks you're going to lose the game except for the guys in the locker room. So just having that bond together and that tight knit group, made us be able to pull this victory out. It's an awesome feeling to know that we played as hard as we possibly could and came out with the result that we wanted.

"

On the other hand, the loss had some questioning just how good Kentucky actually is this season, like Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports:

Kentucky wasn't the only major program to lose Saturday, however, as Duke was knocked off by an underrated Utah team in overtime, 77-75. The Utes nearly blew a six-point lead in the final seconds of overtime, but they were able to hold on after Brandon Ingram missed a layup.

Duke, to its credit, was a bit undermanned, as Amile Jefferson was sidelined with a broken foot, and Grayson Allen was largely ineffective, scoring just seven points after recovering from the flu. Utah—which lost to the Blue Devils in the Elite Eight last year—took advantage.

"I thought both teams played their hearts out," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski told the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "Either one would have been worthy of winning, so I'm not disappointed in my team."

The losses from Duke and Kentucky also made history, per ESPN Stats & Information:

The schedule will pick up for most schools this week, with Duke and Kentucky looking to rebound and programs like Michigan State, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Maryland, among others, looking to stay atop the rankings. 

Those powerhouses certainly won't be taking any opponents lightly this week, as many schools finish up their nonconference schedules and prepare for the grueling conference slate.