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The Villanova Wildcats moved up one spot in the AP Poll, jumping over a Kentucky team that got blown out by the new #1 Duke Blue Devils.
Villanova will face its first ranked opponent of the season this week when they host the #18 Michigan Wolverines in the Finneran Pavilion. The two faced off in the final game of the 2018 season, where Villanova won their third National Championship in runaway fashion.
Big East brethren Marquette finally got some respect, entering the poll at #24. Also receiving votes were Butler (4), St. John’s (2), and Xavier (2). The Big 5 is has another representative in the receiving votes section too in Penn (1).
In addition to Michigan, Villanova will also face Furman, fresh off their victory over 2018 Final Four member Loyola-Chicago. Furman received a single vote in this week’s poll, which is one more than Georgetown.
2018-19 AP Poll: Week 2
| Rank | Team (#1 Votes) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team (#1 Votes) | Points |
| 1 | Duke (48) | 1,606 |
| 2 | Kansas (14) | 1,571 |
| 3 | Gonzaga | 1,478 |
| 4 | Virginia (2) | 1,326 |
| 5 | Tennessee (1) | 1,306 |
| 6 | Nevada | 1,277 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 1,260 |
| 8 | Villanova | 1,139 |
| 9 | Auburn | 1,132 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 1,054 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 919 |
| 12 | Kansas State | 892 |
| 13 | Oregon | 739 |
| 14 | Florida State | 731 |
| 15 | Syracuse | 673 |
| 16 | Virginia Tech | 664 |
| 17 | Mississippi State | 549 |
| 18 | Michigan | 486 |
| 19 | Clemson | 350 |
| 20 | UCLA | 340 |
| 21 | TCU | 323 |
| 22 | LSU | 248 |
| 23 | Purdue | 218 |
| 24 | Marquette | 155 |
| 25 | Buffalo | 154 |
Others Receiving Votes: West Virginia 145, Indiana 131, Nebraska 41, Wisconsin 32, Washington 29, Maryland 28, Notre Dame 24, Miami 16, Ohio St. 14, Alabama 11, Iowa St. 9, Florida 9, Louisville 8, Texas 6, Texas Tech 5, Arizona St 4, Butler 4, Vanderbilt 4, Loyola of Chicago 3, Arizona 2, St. John’s 2, Marshall 2, Xavier 2, Penn 1, Furman 1, Davidson 1, S Illinois 1.
Polling Trends
- Consecutive Weeks Ranked in AP Poll Top 10: 50 (1st Active, T-17th All Time)
- Consecutive Weeks Ranked in AP Poll Top 25: 94 (2nd Active, T-17th All Time)
- Total AP Poll Top 10 Appearances: 212 (13th All Time)
- Total AP Poll Top 25 Appearances: 371 (18th All Time)
Additional Polling Data
Some would argue these “experts” are more relevant than the AP Poll.
KenPom: Nova is 6th overall, 4th in Adj. Offense, and 21st in Adj. Defense
Sagarin: Nova is 14th overall, 16th in Predictive, 8th in Golden Mean, and 10th in Recent.
Massey: Nova is 1st overall, 1st in Power Rating, 1st in Offense, and 11th in Defense
Kendrick: Here are #8 Great Anna Kendrick Musical Performances that are better than the AP Poll.