South Carolina ended 2022 as it started the year: No. 1 in The Associated Press’s top 25 basketball poll.
As the top-ranked Gamecocks rode to victory in their lone game last week, then no. 4 Indiana, #6 NC state and #7 Virginia Tech all lost while scrambling to replace injured players.
There were 22 losses by teams in the AP Top 10 this season prior to January 1st. That was the most in the past 23 years leading up to January, according to ESPN, matching the 2014-15 season. Seven of those losses went to unranked teams, which were the most of all time in 1999–2000 and 2004–05.
The new year didn’t start any better for top teams than it did back then – No. 10 UCLA lost to Oregon State.
“The hardest week I’ve put together my poll in my 12 years as a voter,” ESPN analyst Deb Antonelli said after all the ranking teams’ losses over the past week. “I look at records, injuries, NET and my experienced basketball analyst eye, and it’s difficult. We wanted parity and we got it! It’s a great measure of growth in the game.”
Stanford, Ohio State, Notre Dame and UConn round out the top five teams in the poll released Monday. With the Hoosiers’ loss, only five teams remained undefeated, including the top-ranked Gamecocks, who were again a unanimous No. 1 pick.
No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Utah and 24th-ranked St. John’s are the other undefeated teams heading into 2023. Utah makes its debut in the top 10.
Indiana dropped to sixth while Virginia Tech and North Carolina State finished in the top 10.
Duke was one of the teams to beat a top 10 squad last week and defeated the Wolfpack. The Blue Devils entered the poll at number 19. They start 13-1, with their only loss coming to UConn. Kara Lawson’s side are 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2013/14 and are at their best in six years.
Arkansas dropped out of the poll.
RISING UTES:
Utah extended its season-opening winning streak to 14 games, the second-longest in school history and just two wins fewer than the team that went 16-0 early in the 1997-98 season.
FALLING TAR SALES
North Carolina has lost three straight games and has fallen to 22nd in the poll after dropping contests against Florida State and Virginia Tech. The Tar Heels, who were sixth in the top 25 two weeks ago, will look to end the slide against Miami on Thursday.
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AP Women’s College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https:/ /twitter.com/AP_Top25
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