AUSTIN (KXAN) — Seven teams from the Big 12 Conference are in this week’s Associated Press men’s basketball top 25 rankings, but the Texas Longhorns aren’t one of them.
Despite a 75-73 win over No. 9 Baylor on Saturday, poll voters didn’t give the Longhorns enough points to put them back in the rankings. Texas received 20 points in the poll to check in near the bottom of the others receiving votes category. The 77-71 home loss Jan. 17 to Central Florida, which the Longhorns led by as much as 16 points, clearly kept voters from putting faith in the team right now.
Houston checked in as the highest-ranked Big 12 team at No. 4, followed by Kansas who fell four spots to No. 7 following a 91-85 loss to West Virginia. Oklahoma, Texas’ opponent Tuesday, rose four slots to No. 11 and Baylor dropped six places after the loss to the Longhorns to No. 15. Texas Tech (No. 20), BYU (No. 21) and Iowa State (No. 23) round out the Big 12 teams inside the top 25. Texas takes on BYU in Provo, Utah, on Saturday, giving them consecutive Big 12 road games against ranked opponents.
TCU fell out of the rankings after losses to Iowa State and Cincinnati.
New Mexico moved into the poll for the first time this season at No. 25 and Colorado State worked its way back in at No. 24. Memphis took a big hit in the rankings following an 81-79 loss to Tulane and an earlier loss to South Florida, tumbling nine places to No. 19. Dayton made the biggest move up the rankings, soaring six spots to No. 16.
Connecticut remained the top-ranked team in the country while Purdue maintained at No. 2.
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