Latest Division I Polls For January 26

Ok Duke fans, you are finally where you belong – at number one!

You sat around, waited patiently and won all but one of your games. You did while pretenders like those other two schools in your state and Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh?) held the top ranking this season.

So here you are at the top of both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. And it’s the first time in three seasons you’ve held the top spot.

And to add insult to injury, you solidified the number one ranking by clobbering an Atlantic Coast Conference cream puff in Maryland by 41 points over the weekend.

Didn’t Maryland used to be good?

But lets be honest here Duke fans, does this really mean anything?

What has more meaning? Being number one on January 26 or being number one at the end of the season? Your standards are too high to be celebrating a number one spot this time of the year. Leave that to others like Wake Forest and Pittsburgh (again, Pittsburgh?).

If anyone tells you how great of a feat this is, tell them to talk to you in April when it will really mean something.

Washington is making a fool out of me and anyone else who said that UCLA was a Final Four team. The Huskies beat this Bruins this weekend for something like the fifth straight time in Seattle and climbed to the top of the Pac-10 rankings. They check in at No. 23 in the AP poll, but not the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. UCLA dropped to 16th in one poll and 17th in another.

But you never know how these things will play out. UCLA is notorious for getting hot at the end of the season and making a run. That’s why the Bruins have been to three straight Final Fours. But losses like the one to Washington and Arizona State may be the reason why they haven’t cashed one in.

Not to get all cryptic or anything, but last week’s number one Wake Forest DEMON DEACONS got 666 points in the ESPN/USA Today poll this week as they dropped to fourth.

Here’s the top 25.

AP Top 25
1. Duke (62) 18-1
2. Connecticut (6) 18-1
3. Pittsburgh (3) 18-1
4. Oklahoma (1) 19-1
5. North Carolina 17-2
6. Wake Forest 16-1
7. Louisville 15-3
8. Marquette 17-2
9. Michigan State 16-3
10. Xavier 17-2
11. Texas 14-4
12. Clemson 17-2
13. Butler 18-1
14. Arizona State 16-3
15. Syracuse 17-4
16. Purdue 15-4
17. UCLA 15-4
18. Memphis 16-3
19. Illinois 17-3
20. Gonzaga 14-4
21. Villanova 15-4
22. Saint Mary’s 18-1
23. Washington 15-4
24. Kentucky 16-4
25. Georgetown 12-6

Others Receiving Votes
Notre Dame 154, Minnesota 138, Kansas 84, Florida 65, Missouri 52, Virginia Tech 37, Baylor 34, West Virginia 32, Davidson 27, Utah State 23, Dayton 14, California 13, UNLV 4, Florida State 3, Ohio State 1, Virginia Commonwealth 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Notre Dame 19, Minnesota 21, Florida 24.

ESPN/USA Today Poll
1. Duke (30) 18-1
2. Connecticut (1) 18-1
3. Pittsburgh 18-1
4. Wake Forest 16-1
5. Oklahoma 19-1
6. North Carolina 17-2
7. Louisville 15-3
8. Marquette 17-2
9. Michigan State 16-3
10. Xavier 17-2
11. Clemson 17-2
12. Texas 14-4
13. Butler 18-1
14. Arizona State 16-3
15. Syracuse 17-4
16. UCLA 15-4
17. Purdue 15-4
18. Saint Mary’s 18-1
19. Memphis 16-3
20. Illinois 17-3
21. Villanova 15-4
22. Notre Dame 12-6
23. Georgetown 12-6
24. Minnesota 17-3
25. Gonzaga 14-4

Others Receiving Votes
Florida 59, Utah State 56, Kentucky 50, Baylor 42, Washington 41, California 31, Missouri 22, Dayton 18, Davidson 14, Kansas 13, Brigham Young 6, Florida State 3, UNLV 2, Virginia Tech 1, West Virginia 1.