An injury-ravaged Blue Devil squad relinquished the top spot in the rankings after a loss in its first true test.
Kansas drops Duke at the buzzer
After missing a potential go-ahead free-throw attempt with 41 seconds left in regulation in Kansas' season-opening loss to Indiana, Frank Mason III redeemed himself Tuesday against No. 1 Duke, hitting a midrange jumper with 1.8 seconds on the clock to win the game for the Jayhawks 77-75. Despite being down by nine early in the first half, Kansas led by at least eight points for much of the second half. Two clutch triples by Frank Jackson helped the Blue Devils rally to tie the game at 75 with 15.5 seconds left before Mason hit the game-winner.
With the victory, the Jayhawks rose back up the rankings to No. 5 this week. The Blue Devils—who rebounded to win the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off during the weekend—dropped to No. 6.
Kentucky cruises past Michigan State
Following a loss to Arizona on the season's opening night, Michigan State lost again at the Champions Class in New York and tumbled down the rankings to No. 24. Freshman Malik Monk scored 23 points for Kentucky and converted on 7-of-11 shots from beyond the arc to lead the Wildcats to an easy 69-48 victory. The Spartans only trailed by eight at halftime, but Kentucky took control with a 13-4 run early in the second half to make a statement against a ranked opponent. The Wildcats' win coupled with Duke's loss allowed them to take over the top spot in this week's AP poll.
Baylor shuts down Oregon
Oregon entered this season with high expectations after being a top-seeded team in the 2016 NCAA tournament, but playing a physical Baylor team on the road proved to be too much to handle. The Bears defeated a top-five nonconference opponent at home for the first time in program history with a convincing 66-49 win Tuesday, holding the Ducks to 32.8 percent shooting from the field. Oregon played without its leading scorer from last season, Dillon Brooks, who is still recovering from foot surgery but may make his season debut this week at the Maui Invitational.
Baylor entered the rankings at No. 20 after the dominant performance, and Oregon dropped eight spots to No. 12.
Creighton holds off Wisconsin
Creighton scored nine straight points in the span of a minute to open up an 11-point lead with less than 6:30 remaining in the second half, as the No. 22 Bluejays knocked off No. 9 Wisconsin 79-67 in Omaha, Neb. Khyri Thomas had 18 points for Creighton, which added an impressive nonconference win to its resume early on. Bronson Koenig’s 21 points were not enough for the Badgers, who converted on less than 30 percent of the 39 shots they attempted from downtown. The Bluejays moved up the rankings to No. 12 with the victory. but the loss bumped Wisconsin down to No. 16.
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Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113. Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.