NCAA basketball: 3 thoughts on the latest AP Top 25

The same team remains atop the AP Top 25 this week, while a mid-major debuts in the poll for the very first time.

With just a couple of weeks remaining in the regular season, each AP Top 25 release becomes more and more important. The poll undoubtedly affects the way the NCAA Tournament selection committee looks at the contenders for a spot in the Big Dance.

That being said, the committee is not tied to the poll in any way. The committee considers external factors when seeding the field, including injuries. The voters in the poll largely consider where the team deserves to be in the pantheon of college basketball at the precise moment they send in their ballot.

Nevertheless, most teams that end the season in the AP Top 25 tend to find themselves playing deep into March. Therefore, teams need to jockey for position to feel safe. The bubble is a cold place for a program to be, even as winter begins to blossom into spring.

This week’s poll (Feb. 19) is particularly intriguing. Upsets abounded across the college basketball landscape over the previous seven days, throwing seeding into question. Programs are battling for No. 1 seeds, with each less inclined to capture the opportunity than the next.

Eventually, one of the teams ranked within the top five of the country should emerge from the pack.

Additionally, a team made their AP Top 25 debut this week, which is always a special moment for a program.

Here are three takeaways from the most recent AP poll.