Tag: AP Top 25

Notre Dame women’s basketball star is ACC Player of the Week again

She is so good.

Winning ACC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week is becoming the norm for Notre Dame star [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag]. After wins during the past week over UConn and Eastern Michigan in which she excelled, she won the honor for the second this season and an Irish record sixth time overall.

After nearly achieving a triple-double of 29 points, which included six 3-pointers, 10 rebounds and eight assists against the Huskies, she was equally productive against the Eagles with 27 points and tying her season high with six steals. The latter game highlighted her specialties on both ends of the floor.

All of this and more added up to averages of 28.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.5 steals for the two games. She’s a big reason the Irish climbed five spots to third in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, and it would not be surprising to seem them climb higher before this season is over.

For the latest Hidalgo highlights, here they are against the Eagles:

That’s a typical game for her, folks. Get familiar with her if you haven’t already.

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Gators hoops jump to No. 7 in AP Top 25 Poll after 10-0 start

Florida basketball is undefeated through the first six weeks of the season, and the Gators’ 10-0 record has them at No. 7 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

Florida basketball climbed two spots to No. 7 in the AP Top 25 Poll following a win over Arizona State to improve to 10-0 on the season.

The Gators defeated the Sun Devils in convincing fashion, 83-66, on Saturday to secure the program’s longest winning streak since 2013-14. It was the first Quadrant 1 win of the season for Florida after the win over FSU was downgraded to a Quadrant 2 victory.

The top five in the AP Poll are the same as the Coaches Poll this week, Tennessee, Auburn, Iowa State, Kentucky and Duke. Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Marquette and Oregon round out the top 10, with Gonzaga dropping out of range.

SEC Teams ranked inside the AP Top 25

Eight programs from the Southeastern Conference finished inside the top 25 following Week 6, down from nine a week ago. Besides the five top-10 programs mentioned above, the Texas A&M Aggies (No. 12), Oklahoma Sooners (No. 14) and Ole Miss Rebels (No. 17) made the cut. The Mississippi State Bulldogs fell just outside of the top 25 with 158 votes — Clemson, the new No. 25 team received just 175 votes.

The Arkansas Razorbacks and Missouri Tigers are also just outside of the top 25, trailing Mississippi State directly with 151 and 120 votes, respectively. The Georgia Bulldogs earned 18 poll points and the Texas Longhorns earned three.

Week 6 AP Top 25 Poll

Ranking Team Record Points Trend
1 Tennessee 10-0 1,537 (50) –
2 Auburn 9-1 1,483 (12) –
3 Iowa State 9-1 1,416 –
4 Kentucky 10-1 1,325 +1
5 Duke 8-2 1,324 -1
6 Alabama 8-2 1,210 +1
7 Florida 10-0 1,169 +2
8 Kansas 8-2 1,056 +2
9 Marquette 9-2 926 -3
10 Oregon 10-1 903 +2
11 UConn 8-3 808 +7
12 Texas A&M 9-2 758 +5
13 Gonzaga 7-3 737 -5
14 Oklahoma 10-0 732 -1
15 Houston 6-3 582 –
16 Purdue 8-3 498 -5
17 Ole Miss 9-1 459 +2
18 UCLA 9-1 436 +6
19 Cincinnati 8-1 325 +3
20 Michigan State 8-2 322 +1
21 Memphis 8-2 287 –
22 Dayton 9-2 281 –
23 San Diego State 7-2 250 –
24 Michigan 8-2 209 -10
25 Clemson 9-2 175 -9

Others receiving votes:

Mississippi St. 158, Arkansas 151, Missouri 120, Baylor 115, Illinois 70, Drake 52, St. John’s 50, Utah St. 48, Pittsburgh 28, Maryland 24, West Virginia 19, Wisconsin 18, Georgia 18, Oklahoma St. 16, Arizona St 14, Creighton 12, North Carolina 9, Penn St. 8, Indiana 7, Texas 3, St. Bonaventure 2.

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Gators hoops climbs into AP Poll top 10 after 9-0 start

Florida’s undefeated start to the 2024-25 college basketball season has the Gators ranked No. 9 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

Although the jump isn’t as big as the one in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, Florida basketball climbed to No. 9 in the AP Top 25 Poll following a win over Virginia to improve to 9-0 on the season.

The Gators defeated the Cavaliers in convincing fashion, 87-69, on Wednesday to secure the top-10 ranking. The matchup was part of a dominant performance from the Southeastern Conference in the SEC-ACC Challenge. SEC teams won 14 of 16 contests, 11 by double digits and five by 20-plus points.

Similar to the Coaches Poll, Tennessee, Auburn and Iowa State control the top three spots in this week’s rankings, but Duke and Kentucky round out the top five instead of just Kentucky making the cut. The Golden Eagles are No. 6, however, with Alabama, Gonzaga, Florida and Kansas making up the rest of the top 10.

SEC Teams ranked inside the AP Top 25

Nine programs from the Southeastern Conference finished inside the top 25 following Week 5, up from eight a week ago. Besides the five top-10 programs mentioned above, The Oklahoma Sooners (No. 13), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 17), Ole Miss Rebels (No. 19) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 25) made the cut.

The Missouri Tigers are just outside of the top 25 with 119 poll points, making them the de facto No. 29 team in the country, followed by the Arkansas Razorbacks (89, No. 31), Georgia Bulldogs (21, No. 43) and Texas Longhorns (8, No. 45).

Week 5 AP Top 25 Poll

Rank Team REC PTS (1st) TREND
1 Tennessee 8-0 1,544 (58) +2
2 Auburn 8-1 1,438 (3) –
3 Iowa State 7-1 1,424 (1) +3
4 Duke 7-2 1,295 +5
5 Kentucky 8-1 1,284 -1
6 Marquette 9-1 1,274 -1
7 Alabama 7-2 1,126 +3
8 Gonzaga 7-2 1,082 -1
9 Florida 9-0 1,030 +4
10 Kansas 7-2 940 -9
11 Purdue 8-2 840 -3
12 Oregon 9-1 784 –
13 Oklahoma 9-0 567 +8
14 Michigan 8-1 522 –
15 Houston 5-3 514 +2
16 Clemson 9-1 491 –
17 Texas A&M 8-2 415 +5
18 UConn 7-3 394 +7
19 Ole Miss 8-1 379 +4
20 Wisconsin 8-2 307 -9
21 Michigan State 8-2 292 –
22 Cincinnati 7-1 288 -8
23 San Diego State 6-2 276 +1
24 UCLA 8-1 229 –
25 Mississippi State 8-1 179 –

Others receiving votes:

Baylor 150, Arizona St 143, Memphis 123, Missouri 119, Penn St. 90, Arkansas 89, Drake 67, Pittsburgh 62, Utah St. 57, Illinois 47, St. John’s 43, Maryland 39, Dayton 38, Creighton 32, Indiana 30, West Virginia 30, North Carolina 24, Georgia 21, Saint Mary’s 20, Texas 8, Rhode Island 3, Loyola Chicago 1.

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Notre Dame moves up one spot in AP Top 25 Poll

Notre Dame is now number three in the AP Top 25

Notre Dame sits at No. 3 in the AP Top 25 Poll as the College Football Playoff field has been set.

Despite that, the Fighting Irish got the seventh seed in the CFP field. That’s partly because as an independent, Notre Dame could do no better than the fifth seed. Still, the Irish have a home game against Indiana.

The top five is Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas and Penn State. Ohio State, Tennessee, Boise State, Indiana and Arizona State round out the top 10.

Major movers include Clemson and Army, both up five spots, and UNLV, which dropped five spots. SMU slid four places after losing a tight one to Clemson in the ACC Championship.

Georgia moves up three after an overtime victory against Texas in the SEC Championship.

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jordan Faison (6) attempts to catch the ball against Southern California Trojans cornerback Jacobe Covington (14) in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Duke football receives 29 votes to just miss top 25 in postseason AP Poll

The Associated Press revealed its top 25 college football teams after the conference championships on Sunday with Duke just missing the cut.

The Duke Blue Devils await their assignment on the college football bowl schedule, but the Associated Press voters didn’t quite forget about them on Sunday.

Duke earned 29 votes in the first postseason AP Top 25 College Football Poll, not enough to crack the top 25 but the third-most of any team on the outside looking in.

The Blue Devils lost both of their games against current top-25 opponents, but they took the SMU Mustangs to overtime one week before they built an 11-point lead over Miami on the road. Including their last-second field goal to force overtime against Northwestern in Week 2, Duke put together four fourth-quarter comebacks while only losing three games.

The Clemson Tigers, after winning the ACC in surprising fashion on Saturday night, shifted up four spots to 13th. They’ll get an automatic berth into the College Football Playoff as a conference champion, but the final at-large spot will come down to the Alabama Crimson Tide and SMU Mustangs.

The AP voters put Alabama ahead by a single vote, putting the two teams 11th and 12th in the standings.

Penn State’s final AP Top 25 ranking revealed before College Football Playoff

How much did the AP Top 25 impact Penn State’s ranking after losing to Oregon in the Big Ten championship game?

Where do the Penn State Nittany Lions stand on Selection Sunday in the national rankings? While the only ranking that ultimately matters today will be the one updated by the College Football Playoff selection committee on Sunday afternoon, along with the seeding for the playoff bracket, Penn State did learn how the media voters evaluated Penn State’s 11-2 campaign following a loss to Oregon in Saturday night’s Big Ten championship game.

Penn State fell two spots in the final AP Top 25 poll before the playoff bracket is unveiled, dropping from no. 3 down to no. 5. Penn State managed to stay one spot ahead of Ohio State, who beat Penn State in a head-to-head matchup earlier this season in Beaver Stadium. But Penn State did fall behind idle Notre Dame, who capitalized on losses in conference championship games by both Penn State and Texas. Texas also fell two spots from no. 2 down to no. 4 while SEC champion moved up to no. 2 following its SEC championship game victory over the Longhorns.

Oregon ended the season ranked no. 1 with all 62 first-place votes in their favor after polishing off a 13-0 record with the Big Ten championship game victory over Penn State. Oregon will be the top seed in the upcoming College Football Playoff.

In addition to Penn State, Oregon, and Ohio State, the Big Ten is also represented by no. 9 Indiana and no. 21 Illinois in the AP top 25 this week. No other Big Ten team received any votes from the AP voters this week.

The College Football Playoff rankings and bracket will be unveiled Sunday afternoon. Penn State appears to be locked in for a first-round home game.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball drops to No. 3 seed in ESPN bracketology

The Irish’s perception continues to suffer.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team lost both games it played in the Cayman Islands Classic to TCU and Utah. In doing so, it seriously hurt its perception among those who follow women’s basketball for a living.

Not only did the Irish drop seven spots in the latest AP Top 25 poll from third to 10th, further than any other team, but they fell in Charlie Creme’s latest bracketology for ESPN. After a road win over USC allowed them to ascend to a No. 1 seed, they have fallen to a No. 3 seed.

What’s more, the Irish are in the quadrant featuring UConn, the top overall seed in this bracketology. Meanwhile, the Horned Frogs have been bumped up to a No. 2 seed.

While the Irish remain highly ranked, this past week has led many to believe they aren’t as good as previously thought. The good news is it’s early in the season still, and there’s plenty of time to convince people to come back around on them. But it might become harder if they don’t beat at least one of Texas or the Huskies in two of their next three games.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball drops seven spots in latest AP Top 25

The Irish have a storm to navigate.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team had a very damaging Thanksgiving weekend. After getting swept in the Cayman Islands Classic by TCU and Utah, the voters in the first AP Top 25 Poll of December were not sympathetic.

The Irish dropped seven spots in the latest poll from No. 3 to No. 10. That was the biggest fall of any team from the previous poll. Meanwhile, the Horned Frogs had the biggest jump of any team from that poll, ascending from No. 17 to just past the Irish at No. 9. The Utes didn’t crack the poll but received five votes after not accumulating any in the previous week.

Just when the Irish were riding high after beating USC on the road, reality has hit them hard. It’s a reminder that this season might not be as smooth a ride as many thought it would be. The test for them now is responding well to this setback beginning with their game against No. 5 Texas in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

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Gators hoops jumps five spots in AP Top 25 after 8-0 start

Todd Golden has secured Florida’s highest AP Top 25 ranking in more than three years as the Gators jump up to No. 13 after an 8-0 start.

Florida (8-0) climbed five spots to No. 18 in the AP Top 25 Poll after finishing off a perfect November with two wins at the ESPN Events Invitational.

The Gators defeated Wake Forest and Wichita State this week in Kissimmee in dominating fashion. Although it’s only a two-hour drive from Gainesville, the games played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports are considered neutral site games, which should help Florida come Selection Sunday.

Kansas remains the No. 1 team in the county, but the Auburn Tigers are challenging for the top spot, earning 26 of 61 first-place votes this week. Two more SEC programs, the Tennessee Volunteers and Kentucky Wildcats, are right behind the Tigers at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. Marquette rounds out the top five after an 8-0 start of its own.

SEC Teams ranked inside the AP Top 25

Eight programs from the Southeastern Conference finished inside the top 25 following Week 3, down from nine a week ago. Besides the three top-five programs mentioned above, The Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 10), Florida Gators (No. 13), the Oklahoma Sooners (No. 21), the Texas A&M Aggies (No. 22) and the Ole Miss Rebels (No. 23) made the cut.

The Arkansas Razorbacks are just outside of the top 25 with 104 poll points — UConn is ranked No. 25 with just 123 points — followed by the Texas Longhorns (97), Mississippi State (20) and Georgia (10).

Week 4 AP Top 25 Poll

Rank Team REC PTS (1st) TREND
1 Kansas 7-0 1,499 (35) –
2 Auburn 7-0 1,490 (26) +2
3 Tennessee 7-0 1,351 +4
4 Kentucky 7-0 1,267 +4
5 Marquette 8-0 1,246 +5
6 Iowa State 5-1 1,225 -1
7 Gonzaga 7-1 1,181 -4
8 Purdue 7-1 1,058 +5
9 Duke 5-2 941 +2
10 Alabama 6-2 939 -1
11 Wisconsin 8-0 903 +4
12 Oregon 8-0 806 –
13 Florida 8-0 782 +5
14 Cincinnati 6-0 774 +2
15 Baylor 5-2 567 +2
16 Memphis 6-1 500 –
17 Houston 4-3 402 -11
18 Pittsburgh 7-1 374 –
19 Illinois 6-1 351 +1
20 North Carolina 4-3 292 -8
21 Oklahoma 7-0 266 –
22 Texas A&M 6-2 207 -2
23 Ole Miss 6-1 165 –
24 San Diego State 4-2 143 –
25 UConn 5-3 123 -23

Others receiving votes:

Michigan St. 108, Arkansas 104, Texas 97, Michigan 95, Arizona St 89, Indiana 72, Drake 58, Xavier 33, Utah St. 28, Louisville 27, West Virginia 26, Clemson 25, BYU 24, Dayton 24, Texas Tech 22, Nebraska 22, Mississippi St. 20, Ohio St. 19, Maryland 13, UCLA 13, Creighton 12, Saint Mary’s 11, Georgia 10, St. John’s 7, Loyola Chicago 4, Florida St. 3, DePaul 3, UC Irvine 2, Columbia 2.

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Michigan State basketball left out of AP Poll’s top 25

MSU was left out of the AP top 25 after a third place finish in Maui

After a 2-1 week in the Maui Invitational that saw Michigan State basketball defeat Colorado and North Carolina, the unranked Spartans put themselves in the mind of voters.

While the Spartans may have shown a strong pulse, it still was not enough to be featured inside of the AP Poll’s top 25, although with 108 votes, the Spartans finished in 26th, just one spot outside of the AP Poll’s ranking.

Michigan State will begin Big Ten play this week when they go on the road Wednesday to play Minnesota before hosting Nebraska on Saturday.