Latest Division I Polls For January 5

North Carolina loses its number one spot after the Boston College defeat.

Big deal!

What’s more insulting is that Duke leaped over the Tar Heels to second while UNC drops to third.

So Pittsburgh is your new number one team.

Again – Big deal!

Yes, it’s the first time the Panthers have been at the top in the school’s history and they play a tough schedule and in a tough conference. And the last time Pittsburgh was number one in anything was when Dan Marino was throwing passes for the Panthers 30 years ago.

The Big East is so wild with Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Syracuse and Connecticut all in the top 10, and Notre Dame, Louisville, Marquette and West Virginia are all breathing down each others necks.

Don’t get me wrong here. I say congratulations to the Panthers for making it to the top, and for maybe giving me something else to talk about other than UNC and Old What’s His Name. But don’t expect a long stay at the top for the Panthers.

Here are the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls.

AP Top 25
1. Pittsburgh (70) 14-0, 1,798
2. Duke 12-1, 1,660
3. North Carolina (2) 13-1 1,651
4. Wake Forest 13-0, 1,553
5. Connecticut 12-1, 1,474
6. Oklahoma 13-1, 1,358
7. Texas 11-2, 1,348
8. Michigan State 11-2, 1,269
9. Georgetown 10-2, 1,208
10. UCLA 12-2, 1,162
11. Syracuse 14-1, 1,113
12. Clemson 14-0, 968
13. Notre Dame 10-3, 802
14. Purdue 11-3, 774
15. Tennessee 9-3, 533
16. Xavier 11-2, 483
17. Boston College 13-2, 453
18. Marquette 13-2, 436
18. Villanova 12-2, 436
20. Arizona State 12-2, 374
21. Butler 12-1, 341
22. Minnesota 13-1, 290
23. Baylor 12-2, 289
23. Louisville 9-3, 289
25. West Virginia 11-2, 230

Others Receiving Votes
Michigan 153, California 122, Arkansas 109, Illinois 108, Gonzaga 86, Wisconsin 86, Memphis 67, Davidson 56, Saint Mary’s 50, UNLV 43, Illinois State 39, Kansas 37, Ohio State 28, Texas A&M 27, Maryland 25, Dayton 22, Florida 13, Florida State 13, Brigham Young 12, Miami (FL) 8, Missouri 4.

Dropped From Rankings
Gonzaga 16, Michigan 23, Ohio State 24.

ESPN/USA Today Poll
1. Pittsburgh (30) 14-0, 774
2. Duke 12-1, 714
3. North Carolina (1) 13-1, 707
4. Wake Forest 13-0, 687
5. Connecticut 12-1, 630
6. Oklahoma 13-1, 593
7. Texas 11-2, 546
7. UCLA 12-2, 546
9. Syracuse 14-1, 526
10. Georgetown 10-2, 506
11. Clemson 14-0, 480
12. Michigan State 11-2, 452
13. Notre Dame 10-3, 277
14. Purdue 11-3, 261
15. Marquette 13-2, 251
16. Arizona State 12-2, 238
17. Villanova 12-2, 225
18. Xavier 11-2, 217
19. Minnesota 13-1, 183
20. Butler 12-1, 147
21. Louisville 9-3, 136
22. West Virginia 11-2, 132
23. Baylor 12-2, 98
24. Boston College 13-2, 90
25. Tennessee 9-3, 85

Others Receiving Votes
Dayton 54, Illinois State 50, Michigan 49, Saint Mary’s 43, Ohio State 40, Memphis 37, Illinois 34, Brigham Young 34, California 31, Davidson 31, Arkansas 27, Gonzaga 27, Wisconsin 26, Texas A&M 22, Missouri 21, Florida 11, UNLV 11, LSU 10, Kansas 7, Stanford 5, Maryland 1, Florida State 1, Utah State 1, Washington 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Gonzaga 17, Ohio State 23, Michigan 24.