Seven Big 12 teams ranked in AP hoops poll; KU still No. 10
Seventy percent of the Big 12 is ranked in The Associated Press basketball poll.
Texas at No. 9 and 10th-ranked Kansas are in the top 10.
After that, it’s Iowa State at No. 12, West Virginia 18th, Oklahoma 19th, Baylor 22nd and TCU 25th.
That’s the same TCU team that went 0-18 in Big 12 play last year (9-22 overall) and is 2-26 in league games since joining the conference.
But the Horned Frogs are 11-0, and with nonleague games remaining against Grambling and Tennessee State, which are a combined 4-17, should start their Big 12 schedule against West Virginia on Jan. 3 with a perfect record. It’s TCU’s first appearance in the poll since the 1998-99 season, when Billy Tubbs was the coach.
The seven ranked teams is a first for the Big 12, and Oklahoma State is receiving votes. Kansas State received votes earlier this season, giving the Big 12 nine teams that have appeared on top 25 ballots.
For the third straight week, Kentucky is the unanimous No. 1 in college basketball.
The Wildcats, 12-0, coming off a 39-point romp over UCLA, received all 65 first-place votes. Wichita State stayed at No. 11.
AP top 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 21, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:
Record | Pts | Prv | |
1. Kentucky (65) | 12-0 | 1,625 | 1 |
2. Duke | 10-0 | 1,548 | 2 |
3. Arizona | 12-0 | 1,502 | 3 |
4. Louisville | 10-0 | 1,344 | 4 |
5. Virginia | 11-0 | 1,336 | 6 |
6. Wisconsin | 10-1 | 1,322 | 5 |
7. Villanova | 11-0 | 1,214 | 7 |
8. Gonzaga | 11-1 | 1,170 | 8 |
9. Texas | 10-1 | 1,149 | 9 |
10. Kansas | 9-1 | 1,096 | 10 |
11. Wichita St. | 8-1 | 966 | 11 |
12. Iowa St. | 9-1 | 821 | 13 |
13. Washington | 10-0 | 798 | 16 |
14. Utah | 8-2 | 796 | 14 |
15. Maryland | 11-1 | 678 | 17 |
16. Notre Dame | 11-1 | 536 | 21 |
17. St. John’s | 9-1 | 517 | 20 |
18. West Virginia | 10-1 | 464 | 22 |
19. Oklahoma | 7-3 | 436 | 15 |
20. North Carolina | 8-3 | 414 | 24 |
21. Ohio St. | 9-2 | 411 | 12 |
22. Baylor | 9-1 | 203 | _ |
23. N. Iowa | 10-1 | 162 | _ |
24. Colorado St. | 11-0 | 144 | _ |
25. TCU | 11-0 | 120 | _ |
Others receiving votes: Georgetown 85, San Diego St. 72, VCU 70, California 32, Miami 27, Arkansas 22, Indiana 11, LSU 7, Old Dominion 7, Florida 4, Penn St. 4, Oklahoma St. 3, Seton Hall 3, Butler 2, Minnesota 2, Davidson 1, Valparaiso 1.
To reach Blair Kerkhoff, call 816-234-4730 or send email to bkerkhoff@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @BlairKerkhoff.
This story was originally published December 22, 2014 at 12:19 PM with the headline "Seven Big 12 teams ranked in AP hoops poll; KU still No. 10."