Ripping apart inferior competition does wonders for the self-esteem. However, it doesn’t really make a big impression on the NCAA Tournament resume or improve your team’s national ranking, assuming they are lucky enough to be there.
The Cincinnati Bearcats happen to be one of those teams and after eviscerating Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson they are sporting a shiny 9-2 overall record. However, the AP pollsters did not see fit to reward the Bearcats with much of a bump this week, and that’s understandable. TSU may have been to the NCAA Tournament two years ago, but at just 4-8 overall, the Tigers are far from a feather in the cap. Meanwhile, FDU is one of the worst defensive teams in the country. UC took advantage and set an American Athletic Conference scoring record against the Knights, but it’s still not what might be called a quality win.
In the most recent update of the AP Top 25, UC is ranked No. 24, up one spot from a week ago. The Bearcats have been ranked in four of the six weeks of the season. Last season they were ranked for six weeks of the season total. There are still no other AAC programs on the list, but Xavier, who UC will battle at the end of January, stayed at No. 17. The full poll can be found below.
RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Villanova (56) | 11-0 | 1,614 |
2 | UCLA (3) | 12-0 | 1,514 |
3 | Kansas | 10-1 | 1,450 |
4 | Baylor (6) | 11-0 | 1,439 |
5 | Duke | 10-1 | 1,385 |
6 | Kentucky | 10-1 | 1,337 |
7 | Gonzaga | 11-0 | 1,211 |
8 | North Carolina | 10-2 | 1,170 |
9 | Creighton | 11-0 | 1,058 |
10 | Louisville | 10-1 | 1,044 |
11 | West Virginia | 9-1 | 937 |
12 | Virginia | 9-1 | 886 |
13 | Butler | 10-1 | 821 |
14 | Wisconsin | 10-2 | 781 |
15 | Purdue | 9-2 | 754 |
16 | Indiana | 8-2 | 719 |
17 | Xavier | 9-2 | 542 |
18 | Arizona | 10-2 | 501 |
19 | Saint Mary's | 8-1 | 389 |
20 | Oregon | 10-2 | 299 |
21 | Florida State | 11-1 | 290 |
22 | South Carolina | 9-1 | 218 |
23 | USC | 10-0 | 212 |
24 | Cincinnati | 9-2 | 202 |
25 | Notre Dame | 9-2 | 188 |
Also Receiving Votes:Florida 48, Virginia Tech 40, Maryland 27, Seton Hall 15, Oklahoma State 8, Valparaiso 7, Minnesota 6, Miami 5, Northwestern 4, Iowa State 1, Clemson 1, Kansas State 1, Loyola (CHI) 1 |