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AP Poll: Shockers Back in Rankings, Zags Up to No. 9

Wichita State used its unbeaten run to begin Valley competition to move back into the AP Top 25.

Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

It was another one of those weeks in the AP Top 25 poll. Voters were treated to a number of perceived upsets which sent teams that were getting a dubious count of votes spiraling downward, or out of contention completely.

That left a few openings in the hallowed Top 25, one of which was taken by Wichita State. The Shockers are now 14-1 on the season, and actually look better without all the injured players than they did with them. It also helps that they have begun the Missouri Valley season by going 3-0 and avoiding the upset land mines in Northern Iowa and Bradley.

They are the only addition to the AP Top 25 from the mid-major ranks this week. Not even another team earned enough respect to start garnering votes.

Bucknell probably missed a big opportunity Saturday when it couldn't close against Missouri after briefly taking control of the game in the second half.

Middle Tennessee State lost its opportunity for a little recognition when they dropped a conference game to Arkansas State (and there is that pesky issue of the loss to Belmont).

And as for Belmont, they continue to suffer from the same syndrome as other mid-major teams: they just don't have enough wins against the top 100 in any format to push ahead into the rankings. The best wins for Belmont this season are against Stanford (who is slipping) and Middle Tennessee. The other chances against Virginia Commonwealth and Kansas ended quite badly, and the rest of the schedule is lacking.

That said, they are No. 22 in Ken Pomeroy's rankings, so they are doing something right. The OVC schedule outside of Murray State is going to be murder on their RPI, SOS, [insert ranking system here] numbers.

With Ohio State's loss, Gonzaga moved up to No. 9. Creighton earned a three-spot bump to No. 13 with additional losses by Georgetown and Cincinnati.

Here is the complete AP Top 25 in Week 10:

Rank Team Record Votes Previous
1 Duke (62) 14-0 1622 1
2 Michigan (3) 15-0 1553 2
3 Louisville 13-1 1447 4
4 Arizona 14-0 1442 3
5 Indiana 13-1 1381 5
6 Kansas 12-1 1322 6
7 Syrcause 14-1 1211 7
8 Minnesota 14-1 1121 9
9 Gonzaga 15-1 1064 10
10 Missouri 11-2 1006 12
11 Florida 10-2 922 13
12 Illinois 14-2 881 11
13 Creighton 14-1 789 16
14 Butler 12-2 761 17
15 Ohio State 11-3 710 8
16 San Diego State 12-2 591 19
17 Notre Dame 13-1 547 21
18 Kansas State 12-2 472 25
19 Georgetown 10-2 441 15
20 North Carolina State 12-2 438 23
21 Cincinnati 13-2 375 14
22 Michigan State 12-3 267 18
23 Wichita State 14-1 135 NR
24 UNLV 13-2 113 NR
25 New Mexico 13-2 102 20
Others Receiving Votes: Virginia Commonwealth 94, Wyoming 87, Oklahoma State 64, Marquette 41, UCLA 41, Maryland 29, Kentucky 27, Temple 13, Oregon 11, North Carolina 4, Pittsburgh 1.