Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Texas rises, Gonzaga claims No. 1 spot in latest AP poll

By Holden Walter-Warner

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 21: Rui Hachimura #21 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs holds up the tournament MVP trophy after the 2018 Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 21: Rui Hachimura #21 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs holds up the tournament MVP trophy after the 2018 Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 19: Head coach Ben Howland of the Mississippi State Bulldogs calls to his team from the bench during the second half of a semifinal game against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the MGM Resorts Main Event basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on November 19, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona State won 72-67. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 19: Head coach Ben Howland of the Mississippi State Bulldogs calls to his team from the bench during the second half of a semifinal game against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the MGM Resorts Main Event basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on November 19, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona State won 72-67. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /

3. Mississippi State’s stunning fall

One week ago, the Mississippi State Bulldogs were ranked No. 15 in the AP poll, in line to be a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament, should it have begun last week (there should be an NCAA Tournament every week, by the way).

This week, they’re ranked No. 25, dangling on the precipice of the poll.

You would’ve thought that the ten-spot drop was the result of some cataclysmic loss for Ben Howland’s team. Instead, it was a neutral site defeat at the hands of Arizona State, the first team knocking on the door of this week’s poll.

The drop feels more like a course correction than anything. Prior to the Arizona State game, the Bulldogs played Austin Peay, Hartford, and Long Beach State. None of those victories are particularly impressive.

Frankly, their best win of the season came directly after the Arizona State loss, when they defeated the Saint Mary’s Gaels, 61-57.

Mississippi State doesn’t have a single ranked team on their non-conference schedule, although there’s a chance either Clemson or Cincinnati will warrant a ranking by the time they play the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs may not deserve to be ranked. Last week’s results shouldn’t have been the impetus for that discovery, though.

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