Michigan Remains At No. 4 In Today's AP Poll Following Its Idle Week
The Michigan Wolverines' basketball team stayed put in today's Associated Press top 25, remaining at No. 4 nationally following the first week of its current two-week pause. The Maize and Blue are expected to remain idle for the ensuing week as well, before taking on Illinois Feb. 11 at Crisler Center.
It remains unknown whether or not any of U-M's four postponed games — at Penn State, Indiana, at Northwestern and Michigan State — will be made up. The Wolverines are one of six ranked teams in the Big Ten, with No. 7 Ohio State, No. 8 Iowa, No. 12 Illinois, No. 19 Wisconsin and No. 24 Purdue being the other five.
The Buckeyes were one of the biggest movers of any league member this week, rising six spots following a 2-0 week that saw them beat Penn State in a nail-biter and blow out Michigan State, both of which occurred at Value City Arena.
The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, only fell one spot following their 80-75 loss at Illinois Friday night, but nevertheless saw Ohio State jump them in the polls. The voters rewarded the Fighting Illini in a big way for their triumph over Iowa, vaulting them seven spots up to No. 12 nationally.
Wisconsin, on the flip side, continued its free fall after a 10-point loss at Penn State Saturday, dropping from No. 14 to No. 19. Minnesota tumbled out of the top 25 altogether after an 81-62 loss at Purdue this weekend, while the Boilermakers entered the rankings for the first time all year, checking in at No. 24.
The nation's top three of Gonzaga, Baylor and Villanova stayed the same, with the former two remaining unbeaten and the latter only possessing one loss. Other notable changes in the top 25 saw Oklahoma skyrocket from No. 24 all the way up to No. 9, thanks to a week that saw it pick up wins over two top 10 squads in Texas and Alabama.
A 16-0 Drake team also entered the rankings for the first time this year, with the Bulldogs residing as one of just three remaining unbeaten teams in the sport (Gonzaga and Baylor are the other two).
The biggest laugher of this week's top 25 came in the form of Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks, who remain ranked following Saturday's 80-61 blowout loss at Tennessee that dropped them to 11-6 on the year.
Self's club has now lost four of its last five games, with its lone win during that span coming Thursday night over the 9-7 TCU Horned Frogs … by just eight points.
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