Men's college basketball fans across the country refresh their browsers on Monday afternoons to see the changes in the polls. Although rankings at this point in the season are not necessarily significant yet, it is always interesting to see which teams have made strides and which have struggled over the past week. Without further ado, below are my reactions to this week's poll.
7
Just one week ago, Duke was No. 3 in the AP Poll and received multiple first-place votes, but after being dominated by Ohio State on the road, the Blue Devils fell to No. 7 this week. Prior to the loss in Columbus, Duke had one of the strongest resumes in the country, boasting wins over Tennesee, Michigan and Kansas in the Maui Invitational as well as an impressive win over Tom Izzo's Spartans also on a neutral court. The Blue Devils remain the highest ranked one-loss team in the nation.
25
Harvard is ranked for the first time in school history. Tommy Amaker, Duke alum and former associate head coach, has led the Crimson to eight straight wins to begin the season. Harvard's best win thus far came against a disappointing Florida State squad in the Bahamas, but it will be tested when they travel to No. 9 Connecticut on Dec. 8.
2
Just two ACC teams are ranked this week as the conference lost the ACC-Big Ten Challenge for the third consecutive year. Florida State and Virginia Tech received votes, but failed to crack into the Top 25. Miami and Virginia are both off to hot starts and will have the opportunity to impress voters when they take on non-conference foes No. 20 George Mason this week.
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