Gators up a couple spots in new top 25 rankings
The 15th editions of the 2011-12 regular season USA Today/ESPN and Associated Press Top 25 Polls were released on Monday, and the Kentucky Wildcats (26-1, 12-0 SEC) held on to the No. 1 spot in both rankings, receiving 94 of 96 combined votes as the near-unanimous top team in the country.
The Florida Gators rose again in the rankings after a pair of impressive road wins this past week. Florida went up to No. 11 and No. 12 in the respective polls on the heels of consecutive victories against Alabama (61-52) on Tuesday evening and Arkansas (98-68) on Saturday evening. The Gators are one of two Southeastern Conference teams listed in the rankings this week.
Florida guard Bradley Beal picked up SEC Freshman of the Week honors for the sixth time this season on Monday after averaging 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in back-to-back victories for the Gators.
| Week | Gator Bait | Record | USA Today | AP Top 25 | NCAA RPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preseason | - | - | No. 10 (422) | No. 10 (1,007) | - |
| 2 | W 84-35 vs. Alabama State | 1-0 | No. 10 (465) | No. 10 (1,007) | - |
| 3 | W 74-56 vs. Wisconsin W 66-45 vs. Middle Tennessee | 3-0 | No. 8 (541) | No. 7 (1,203) | - |
| 4 | W 58-40 vs. Savannah State W 79-66 vs. Central Florida | 5-0 | No. 7 (573) | No. 7 (1,227) | - |
| 5 | W 82-49 vs. Marquette | 6-0 | No. 5 (629) | No. 6 (1,324) | - |
| 6 | W 72-47 at Florida State | 7-0 | No. 5 (644) | No. 5 (1,319) | - |
| 7 | L 64-65 at Arizona (#8) | 7-1 | No. 9 (532) | No. 8 (1,163) | - |
| 8 | W 82-43 vs. Southeastern Louisiana L 61-67 vs. Kansas State (Kansas City) | 8-2 | No. 11 (406) | No. 14 (772) | - |
| 9 | W 78-61 vs. Air Force (Sunrise) | 9-2 | No. 9 (451) | No. 13 (810) | - |
| 10 | W 79-58 at Yale | 10-2 | No. 9 (496) | No. 11 (922) | 10 |
| 11 | W 77-44 vs. Georgia W 72-54 at LSU | 12-2 (2-0 SEC) | No. 9 (526) | No. 10 (1,019) | 9 |
| 12 | W 68-47 at Texas A&M W 83-52 vs. Missouri (#16/17) | 14-2 (4-0 SEC) | No. 7 (588) | No. 8 (1,181) | 6 |
| 13 | W 64-47 at Georgia W 82-47 at Mississippi State | 16-2 (6-0 SEC) | No. 4 (685) | No. 4 (1,420) | 5 |
| 14 | W 75-36 vs. South Carolina W 78-64 vs. Ole Miss (#16) | 18-2 (8-0 SEC) | No. 2 (742) | No. 2 (1,536) | 3 |
| 15 | L 69-80 at Arkansas W 83-58 vs. Mississippi State | 19-3 (9-1 SEC) | No. 6 (628) | No. 7 (1,286) | 4 |
| 16 | W 69-52 vs. Kentucky (#25) W 83-52 at Auburn | 21-3 (11-1 SEC) | No. 4 (685) | No. 5 (1,387) | 4 |
| 17 | L 60-63 at Missouri W 71-54 vs. Arkansas | 22-4 (12-2 SEC) | No. 6 (596) | No. 8 (1,164) | 4 |
| 18 | L 58-64 at Tennessee W 64-52 vs. Alabama | 23-5 (13-3 SEC) | No. 9 (522) | No. 11 (993) | 6 |
| 19< | W 66-40 vs. Vanderbilt L 57-61 at Kentucky | 24-6 (14-4 SEC) | No. 11 (472) | No. 13 (838) | 6 |
| 20 | W 80-58 vs. LSU W 61-51 vs. Alabama L 63-66 vs. Ole Miss | 26-7 (14-4 SEC) | No. 12 (420) | No. 14 (768) | 7 |
This Week 1-5: Kentucky (31), Syracuse, Missouri, Duke, Kansas
6-10: Michigan State, North Carolina, Georgetown, Ohio State, Marquette
11-15: Florida, Murray State, Michigan, Baylor, Wisconsin
16-20: Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Wichita State, UNLV
21-25: New Mexico, Temple, Saint Mary’s, Indiana, San Diego State
Last Week 1-5: Kentucky (31), Syracuse, Missouri, Duke, Kansas
6-10: Ohio State, North Carolina, Michigan State, Georgetown, Baylor
11-15: UNLV, Florida, Marquette, Murray State, San Diego State
16-20: Saint Mary’s, Wisconsin, Louisville, Michigan, Indiana
21-25: Florida State, Virginia, Mississippi State, Gonzaga, Notre Dame
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL
This Week 1-5: Kentucky (63), Syracuse (2), Missouri, Kansas, Duke
6-10: Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Georgetown, Marquette
11-15: Michigan, Florida, Baylor, Murray State, Florida State
16-20: Wisconsin, Louisville, New Mexico, Wichita State, Notre Dame
21-25: UNLV, Temple, Indiana, San Diego State, Virginia
Last Week 1-5: Kentucky (63), Syracuse (2), Missouri, Kansas, Duke
6-10: Ohio State, Michigan State, North Carolina, Baylor, Georgetown
11-15: UNLV, Marquette, San Diego State, Florida, Wisconsin
16-20: Murray State, Michigan, Indiana, Louisville, Florida State
21-25: Saint Mary’s, Virginia, Notre Dame, Gonzaga/Wichita State
*Numbers in parenthesis represent first-place votes.
