Thoughts on the AP poll: Duke men's basketball stays at No. 3, North Carolina falls to No. 14

With nearly a month of play in the books, things are starting to shape up across college basketball, as seen in the latest AP poll:  

Duke stays at No. 3

The nation’s best team according to KenPom.com remained at No. 3 in the most recent version of the AP Top 25. The Blue Devils picked up blowout victories against Indiana and Stetson last week, showing no signs of dejection following their loss to top-ranked Gonzaga. R.J. Barrett, who shot just 35.6 percent during the Maui Invitational, bounced back strongly for Duke, putting up 48 points on 65.6 percent from the field in the team’s contests against the Hoosiers and Hatters.

Michigan rises to No. 5

Head coach John Beilein’s squad may have the most impressive resume in all of college basketball in terms of opponents beaten. After embarrassing No. 21 Villanova 73-46 in a National Championship rematch, the Wolverines trounced then-No. 11 North Carolina 84-67 and then-No. 19 Purdue 76-57. On Saturday’s matchup against the Boilermakers, Michigan limited Naismith College Player of the Year candidate Carsen Edwards to his worst scoring output on the season. The Wolverines are led by the best defense in the country, yielding only 51.8 points per game.

North Carolina drops to No. 14

After suffering its first loss of the 2018-19 season to Texas, North Carolina fell once again, this time to Michigan. After the Tar Heels’ 84-67 loss in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Wednesday, head coach Roy White declared that the team “stinks right now.” Nassir Little, who was the sixth-ranked recruit in the Class of 2018, has not made as large of an impact as expected, and is averaging only 19.5 minutes per game.

Complete Rankings: