College Basketball: Few Changes in First Regular Season Coaches’ Poll

Three days’ worth of weekend games weren’t enough to sway the consensual opinions of college basketball coaches across the country.

There was little movement in the first regular season coaches’ poll released Monday afternoon, especially at the top. The top-seven teams in the preseason coaches’ Top 25 held their ground, with Indiana remaining on top followed by Louisville (No. 2), Kentucky (No. 3), Ohio State (No. 4), Michigan (No. 5), North Carolina State (No. 6) and Kansas (No. 7).

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The coaches, like the writers, flip-flopped Syracuse (No. 9 to No. 8) and Duke (No. 8 to No. 9), but made no other changes to the Top 10. North Carolina (No. 12 to No. 11) and Arizona (No. 11 to No. 12) switched places, while Creighton jumped Michigan State and Arizona from No. 15 to No. 13. The Spartans fell from No. 14 to No. 22 following their upset loss to Connecticut in Germany and UCLA dropped one spot (No. 14 to No. 13). The NCAA ruled Bruins freshman sensation Shabazz Muhammad temporarily ineligible on Friday, and the prized swingman could miss at least ten games.

Missouri climbed two spots (No. 17 to No. 15) while Baylor and UNLV each moved up one in light of Michigan State’s absence. Gonzaga surged three spots from No. 22 to No. 19 while San Diego State dropped three places after losing to Syracuse in Sunday’s Battle of the Midway.

Previously unranked Cincinnati moves into the poll for the first time at No. 24, supplanting placeholder Florida State, which dropped out of the rankings after losing at home to South Alabama. Texas, which had shared the preseason No. 24 spot with Florida State, checks in at No. 25.