You want the smoking gun that proves how absolutely out of the box and off the rails this college basketball season is? Here is this week’s Associated Press top-25.
No Kansas. No Duke. No Kentucky. No North Carolina. No Michigan State. No UCLA. No Indiana. It's as if the rich neighborhood suddenly had a power failure.
RANKINGS: See Andy Katz's latest Power 36 rankings
Of the 25 teams in the rankings, 18 have never won a national championship — starting with Gonzaga and Baylor at No. 1 and No. 2. Five of the 25 have never reached the Final Four. Seven others have not made it there in this century.
Of the 81 national championships decided in the history of the NCAA tournament, 71 were won by programs that are unranked this week.
None of the 13 winningest programs in D-I history are currently ranked in the AP Poll
— Bryan Ives (@awaytoworthy) February 8, 2021
1. Kentucky
2. Kansas
3. North Carolina
4. Duke
5. Temple
6. Syracuse
7. UCLA
8. Notre Dame
9. St John’s
10. Indiana
11. Arizona
12. Utah
13. Cincinnati
The only three schools in this week’s top-25 that have won national championships in the past 57 years are Villanova, Virginia and Michigan.
With the likes of Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma — this week’s top-25 has produced 38 Associated Press or playoff national champions in football since 1939 — but only 10 in basketball.
On the list of programs with the most NCAA tournament appearances, none of the top eight are ranked this week.
BUBBLE TEAMS: 10 teams to watch with a month left in the season
The mighty ACC? One teams — No. 9 Virginia — is in the top 16.
Fifty different teams received at least one vote in the AP or coaches’ polls this week. Winthrop, Boise State, UAB, Toledo . . . but none of them were named Duke, Kentucky or Michigan State, with their 43 Final Four appearances among them. Yeah, a very different season.
UNBEATEN: Why Baylor could enter Selection Sunday undefeated
