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AP Poll: Louisiana Tech and Bucknell Grab Votes, Mid-Majors on Rise

As the rankings continue to jumble, the biggest benefactors might be the streaking mid-majors in the national eye. Bucknell and Louisiana Tech both picked up votes in week 12.

Could Kenneth Smith (right) and WAC leader Louisiana Tech make a rankings move?
Could Kenneth Smith (right) and WAC leader Louisiana Tech make a rankings move?
Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

In what amounted to a wild week in college basketball, between buzzer beaters, and blowout wins, the biggest benefactor of it all might have been the mid-majors.

Louisiana Tech (WAC) and Bucknell (Patriot) both grabbed votes in the AP Top 25 poll, and given that the bar for entry into the ranked teams (Miami is No. 25 with an embarrassing 93 points), it wouldn't take much to move them up the rankings quickly.

Heck, look at Butler. The Bulldogs went from unranked with single digit votes, to ranked by scraping by Indiana. They now move into the top 10 by defeating Gonzaga on a last second shot. Now, they are missing their best scorer, which does add to the lore of the win.

But that kind of movement just seems an extreme reaction, not one based on real team strength. Ken Pomeroy still has the Bulldogs at No. 33, and the MRI computer rankings list them at No. 37.

That just doesn't jibe with a top 10 squad. I could accept a few spot discrepancy, but not a wholesale 20-plus move.

Yet this remains a good sign for the mid-majors starting to come on strong. Bucknell faces Lehigh this Wednesday and that should boost them ahead with a win. Louisiana Tech finally faces Utah State on Saturday, and that could trigger a major move in either direction.

In other mid-major news, Creighton dropped five spots after losing to Wichita State; Gonzaga fell to No. 10 with its loss; and the Shockers moved back into the rankings at No. 20 thanks to the upset of the Bluejays.

Memphis also grabbed six votes this week. The Tigers have been on a roll since the rocky start to begin the season. The win over Harvard this weekend should have been the last real test for the Conference USA leaders until they face Xavier in late February.

Here is the complete AP Top 25 for Week 12:

Rank Team Record Votes Previous
1 Duke (39) 16-1 1578 3
2 Michigan (11) 17-1 1539 5
3 Syracuse (8) 17-1 1486 6
3 Kansas (7) 16-1 1486 4
5 Louisville 16-2 1348 1
6 Arizona 16-1 1270 7
7 Indiana 16-2 1211 2
8 Florida 14-2 1181 10
9 Butler 16-2 1146 13
10 Gonzaga 17-2 994 8
11 Kansas State 15-2 927 16
12 Minnesota 15-3 905 9
13 Michigan State 16-3 831 18
14 Ohio State 13-4 701 11
15 New Mexico 16-2 659 19
16 Oregon 16-2 624 21
17 Creighton 17-2 611 12
18 North Carolina State 15-3 587 14
19 Virginia Commonwealth 16-3 433 22
20 Wichita State 17-2 363 NR
21 Cincinnati 16-3 322 NR
22 Missouri 13-4 234 17
23 Mississippi 15-2 172 NR
24 Notre Dame 15-3 123 20
25 Miami 13-3 93 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Marquette 92, Wisconsin 55, UCLA 41, UNLV 32, Wyoming 28, San Diego State 26, Colorado State 7, Memphis 6, Georgetown 4, Iowa State 3, North Carolina 3, Louisiana Tech 2, Pittsburgh 1, Bucknell 1.