Oklahoma Basketball Stays No. 1 in Associated Press Media Poll
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma basketball remains at No. 1 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25.
Despite losing a close game against 19th-ranked Iowa State just hours after being elevated to the top spot in both major weekly polls, the Sooners’ dominant victory at Baylor on Saturday apparently was enough to convince the panel of media representatives who vote in the AP poll to keep Oklahoma at No. 1, just ahead of No. 2 North Carolina.
The Sooners received all 65 first-place votes in the AP poll a week ago, but received just 36 of the 65 first-place ballots this week. Nevertheless, that was enough to retain the top ranking for a second consecutive week.
The USA Today Coaches’ Poll dropped Oklahoma down a spot this week to No. 2, elevating North Carolina to the top rung.
Iowa, Kansas and Texas A&M round out the top five this week in both the AP and the USA Today rankings. Iowa and Kansas flip flop in the two polls, with Kansas at No. 3 and Iowa No. 4 in the coaches poll and just the reverse in the media poll.
After having to go up against five ranked teams in its first seven Big 12 games, the schedule broadens out a little bit over the next week and a half. The Sooners are at home for their next two conference games, against unranked Texas Tech and TCU. Those two games will serve as bookends for a Big 12-SEC Challenge matchup at LSU and freshman superstar Ben Simmons on Saturday.
Oklahoma owns a record of 4-2 against ranked teams this season, and is the only team that has held the No. 1 ranking in 2015-16 that has beaten a team ranked in the top 15 (at the time the game was played) by double digits.
The Sooners also rank No. 1 in the current RPI (Real Percentage Index) ratings.
Three other Big 12 teams rank in the top 25 this week. West Virginia is No. 9 in both polls; Iowa State is 14th in the AP poll and 16th in the USA Today Top 25, and Baylor is 17th in the AP poll and 18th in the USA Today weekly rankings.