Ohio State Returns to No. 1; St. John's Moves to No. 15 | Zagsblog
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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Sunday / December 15.
  • Ohio State Returns to No. 1; St. John’s Moves to No. 15

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    Ohio State reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25, while St. John’s climbed to No. 15, a week after entering the ranking for the first time in more than a decade.

    The Buckeyes (27-2) received 45 of 65 first-place votes in the media poll to move atop the ranking.

    Former No. 1 Duke dropped into fourth place following a loss Saturday at Virginia Tech. Duke (26-3) received one first-place vote.

    Kansas, which held the No. 1 ranking two weeks ago, climbed one spot to second, receiving 14 first-place votes, and BYU jumped four notches to No. 3. The Cougars won 80-67 at San Diego State on Saturday, dropping the Aztecs three spots to ninth.

    Pittsburgh is No. 5 following Sunday’s loss at Louisville.

    St. John’s climbed eight spots after entering the poll last week for the first time since November 2000. The jump came after a 76-51 home win over DePaul on Feb. 23 and an 81-68 road victory Saturday at then-No. 15 Villanova.

    St. John’s has not been ranked this high since March 13, 2000, when the Red Storm was picked ninth in the AP Poll and 12th in the Coaches Poll following a win in the Big East tournament.

    “We have been pleased with the steady progress our senior-laden team has made throughout the course of the season,” Johnnies coach Steve Lavin said. “A leap in the polls this late in the year provides further evidence that our group is truly galvanized in their purpose to finishing the regular season with momentum. Our seniors are looking forward to completing their final campaign with a postseason run.”

    St. John’s has won six straight and eight of nine entering Thursday’s tilt at Seton Hall.

    AP Top 25
    Rank School Record Points Prev
    1 Ohio State (45) 27-2 1602 2
    2 Kansas (14) 27-2 1554 3
    3 Brigham Young (5) 27-2 1460 7
    4 Duke (1) 26-3 1380 1
    5 Pittsburgh 25-4 1380 4
    6 Purdue 24-5 1305 8
    7 Texas 24-5 1216 5
    8 Notre Dame 23-5 1173 9
    9 San Diego State 27-2 1151 6
    10 Wisconsin 22-6 1040 12
    11 Louisville 22-7 937 16
    12 Syracuse 24-6 898 17
    13 North Carolina 22-6 797 19
    14 Florida 22-6 688 13
    15 St. John’s 19-9 651 23
    16 Connecticut 21-7 643 14
    17 Georgetown 21-8 559 11
    18 Arizona 23-6 404 10
    19 Villanova 21-8 382 15
    20 Kentucky 20-8 335 22
    21 Vanderbilt 21-7 330 18
    22 Missouri 22-7 261 20
    23 Xavier 22-6 246 25
    24 Texas A&M 22-6 178 21
    25 Utah State 26-3 129 26
     

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    Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

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