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New AP Poll Released - Virginia drops to #3

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The team was horrified at its drop in the polls
The team was horrified at its drop in the polls
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Virginia Cavaliers are #3 in the nation in the newest AP Poll. The Hoos dropped from second to third after falling 69-63 to Duke.  Kentucky remained at the #1 spot, now in unanimous fashion, while Gonzaga moved to #2.

Duke remained at #4 after a week where they fell at Notre Dame but beat UVA, followed by Wisconsin.  The ACC now has 5 ranked teams, all in the top 12, as Louisville moved to #9, Notre Dame to #10, and UNC to 12.

Computer rankings kept generally UVA at #2 - that includes Ken Pomeroy (#8 in offense and #3 in defense), Sagarin, and BPI.

Dropping in the polls after a loss is expected, as voters tend to be inundated with "you lose, you drop (unless you're Duke or UNC)" thinking. It doesn't make much sense, and isn't the best way of determining who the best teams are, but that's how they work.  Still, 25 of the AP's 65 voters kept UVA at #2.

However, some took the practice a bit far, as four voters dropped the Hoos to sixth. Ben Frederickson of the Knoxville News Sentinel, Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press, and Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun had UVA behind Kentucky, Gonzaga, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Duke; Scott Masch of the Great Falls Tribune had Villanova ahead of Virginia too (but Duke behind).  The good news: Polls are just for fun, and UVA will have plenty of opportunity to earn back its spot with good performances in the tough road ahead.

Here's the full AP Top 25:

AP Top 25

RANK TEAM Record POINTS PREV
1 Kentucky Wildcats (65) 21-0 1625 1
2 Gonzaga Bulldogs 22-1 1503 3
3 Virginia Cavaliers 19-1 1470 2
4 Duke Blue Devils 18-3 1416 4
5 Wisconsin Badgers 19-2 1381 5
6 Arizona Wildcats 20-2 1338 6
7 Villanova Wildcats 19-2 1209 7
8 Kansas Jayhawks 18-3 1177 9
9 Louisville Cardinals 18-3 1114 10
10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 20-3 1072 8
11 Iowa State Cyclones 16-4 892 15
12 North Carolina Tar Heels 17-5 861 13
13 Utah Utes 17-4 824 11
14 Northern Iowa Panthers 20-2 792 18
15 West Virginia Mountaineers 18-3 779 17
16 Wichita State Shockers 19-3 678 12
17 Maryland Terrapins 18-4 508 16
18 Virginia Commonwealth Rams 17-4 479 14
19 Baylor Bears 16-5 420 20
20 Ohio State Buckeyes 17-5 358 28
21 Oklahoma Sooners 14-7 312 24
22 Butler Bulldogs 16-6 250 25
23 SMU Mustangs 18-4 221 28
24 Georgetown Hoyas 16-6 162 21
25 Texas Longhorns 14-7 106 19