The University of Miami lost to Duke on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but the Hurricanes didn’t lose much ground in the Associated Press rankings.
UM (23-5, 14-2 ACC) fell just one spot, from No. 5 to No. 6, after its 79-76 loss to the Blue Devils in a contest that wasn’t decided until the final buzzer.
The results of the latest AP poll, released Monday, could be an indication of the Hurricanes’ new-found respect nationally. Not only did UM fall a single spot in the rankings, but Duke, which lost to unranked Virginia earlier in the week, stayed at No. 3 on the strength of its win against Miami.
“I don’t know — we’re not playing for anyone else but ourselves and this program,” Hurricanes senior guard Durand Scott said. “Those are things we don’t get caught up in. We believe we’re a good team.”
UM is guaranteed the top seed in the conference tournament that begins March 14 and could clinch an outright ACC regular-season championship with a win in its final two games — Wednesday night against Georgia Tech or Saturday afternoon versus Clemson. Both games will be at the BankUnited Center.
Gonzaga No. 1 for first time: Gonzaga, the small Northwest school known for big NCAA Tournament wins, is No. 1 in the AP's Top 25 for the first time.
Riding the best record in Division I at 29-2, the Bulldogs took advantage of Indiana’s loss to Minnesota last week. The Bulldogs switched places with the Hoosiers, advancing from No. 2 to move comfortably into the No. 1 spot.
Gonzaga is the fifth school to hold the top spot this season. Indiana was the preseason No. 1 and on top for nine other weeks. Duke, Louisville and Michigan were the other No. 1s.
Kansas and Georgetown both jumped two spots to fourth and fifth. The Hoyas received the other two first-place votes.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
