Ranked teams suffer 17 losses and push a new team into first place

Nevada Sports Net columnist Chris Murray is one of 62 voters in the college basketball AP Top 25 poll. Here is his ballot this week.

On the rise

* Tennessee: We have a third No. 1 team in as many weeks, with Tennessee moving to the top spot after stops at UConn and Kansas. The Volunteers didn’t play as rigorously as the first two teams, but did post two Quad 1 wins (over Baylor and Louisville) as well as wins over Syracuse and Virginia. Tennessee is one of eight undefeated teams in Division I. New this week are Clemson (11), Penn State (15), Mississippi State (19) and UCLA (23).

In autumn

*Kansas: It was a bloodbath for the ranked teams, 14 of which in the top 25 suffered a combined 17 losses, with No. 1 Kansas losing two straight games to unranked opponents and Creighton and Missouri dropping a combined 22 points. The Jayhawks had good wins against Duke, Michigan State and North Carolina, only dropping them from first place to 10th. But this is the second week in a row that our No. 1 team has lost multiple games, with the first coming against UConn. My picks included Cincinnati (15 last week), Pitt (18), Illinois (20) and Baylor (22).

Chris Murray’s AP Top 25

1. Tennessee (previously 5)

2. Kentucky (3)

3. Auburn (2)

4. Iowa State (8)

5. Duke (12)

6. Marquette (4)

7. Gonzaga (6)

8.Oregon (7)

9. Alabama (13)

10. Kansas (1)

11. Clemson (n/r)

12. Michigan (23)

13.Florida (14)

14. Memphis (9)

15. Penn State (n/r)

16. Purdue (10)

17.Oklahoma (17)

18.Wisconsin (11)

19. Mississippi State (n/r)

20. Ole Miss (16)

21. San Diego State (24)

22. Utah State (25)

23. UCLA (n/r)

24. Arizona State (19)

25. Drake (21)

Dropped out: Cincinnati (15); Pitt (18); Illinois (20); Baylor (22)

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight into sports in Northern Nevada. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.