College Basketball Top 25: Indiana, Duke, Michigan Top Coaches’ Poll

Indiana survived a pair of scares at the Legends Classic–first against Georgia and again versus Georgetown in overtime of the title game–but there was little resistance for the program’s No. 1 ranking in the latest coaches’ poll. The Hoosiers received 27 of the 31 first-place votes of the Coaches’ Top 25 released on Monday, while No. 2 Duke received the other four.

The Blue Devils vaulted three spots after knocking off Minnesota, VCU and Louisville at the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Cardinals, who played the championship game without their shot-blocking center Gorgui Dieng, fell to No. 6. As was the case in the AP Poll, Michigan (No. 4 to No. 3) and Ohio State (No. 3 to No. 4) swapped places thanks to the Wolverines’ impressive showing at the NIT Season Tip-Off. Syracuse, meanwhile, moves into the Top 5 for the first time this year, rising from No. 6 to No. 5.

Florida (No. 7), Kentucky (No. 8), Arizona (No. 9) and Kansas (No. 10) round out the Top 10. Florida and Kentucky switched spots from last week while Arizona and Kansas each bumped up a spot, filling in for North Carolina which dropped from No. 9 to No. 13.

Gonzaga made major headway in the poll, jumping four spots to No. 12 after taking home the Old Spice Classic over the weekend. Michigan State (No. 19 to No. 15), Cincinnati (No. 20 to No. 16), Oklahoma State (No. 22 to No. 17) and San Diego State (No. 25 to No. 21) also made major strides.

Memphis (No. 17), Baylor (No. 21), Connecticut (No. 23) and Wisconsin (No. 24) each toppled out of the poll. The Tigers dropped two games at the Battle 4 Atlantis and Bears lost to Charleston at home on Sunday. The Huskies fell to New Mexico in the Paradise Jam finale while the Badgers lost to Creighton in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Invitational.

UCLA inexplicably remains in the poll, nosediving from No. 13 to No. 24 despite losing twice–first to Georgetown at the Legends Classic and again to Cal Poly at home on Sunday night. You wonder how many coaches even know of Sunday night’s jaw-dropping result.

Colorado (No. 19), Illinois (No. 22), New Mexico (No. 23) and Georgetown (No. 25) are newcomers to the poll.