AP No. 1 College Basketball Teams Continue To Fall
AP No. 1 college basketball teams have done something that hasn't been done in more than 60 years.
Monday night provided the latest occurrence as the No. 19 Iowa State Cyclones took care of business on their home court against the No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, who hold the top spot for the first time since the 1989-90 season.
The Sooners’ loss captured a place in history. This is the first season — since the 1948-49 season — featuring five No. 1-ranked teams to be beaten before February 1st.
Let’s recap this season’s No. 1 teams knocked off their thrones.
North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina kicked off this trend by losing at Northern Iowa back in November. The loss shocked much of the college basketball world, but it ignited the local Cedar Falls, Iowa fan base.
Kentucky Wildcats
Following the Tar Heels’ loss, Kentucky had its chance to make a run as the new No. 1 team in the land. Much like UNC, however, it was a short-lived run as the Wildcats suffered a defeat at UCLA less than two weeks after taking over the top ranking.
Michigan State Spartans
Enter Michigan State. The Spartans, despite Denzel Valentine being sidelined, had their turn as the top-ranked team in college basketball. A handful of wins against unranked opponents kept MSU atop college basketball before losing its Big Ten opener on the road to Iowa.
Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas, who lost to Michigan State in November, was subsequently named the new AP No. 1 team following the Spartans’ first loss. The Jayhawks were able to win two games as the No. 1 team before losing to West Virginia. One of those two victories came at the expense of the latest number one team to experience defeat: Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners gladly took over for their Big 12 rival atop the rankings. They didn’t last more than a few hours as the No. 1 team before falling to Iowa State though.
Seeing as how Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa have all risen to the occasion when playing the No. 1 team in the nation, here’s some advice for the next top dog: avoid Iowa at all costs.
