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The Coaches’ Poll isn’t out as of the time this post was sent to the presses, but the AP has published their top 25, and the Muskies are prominent.
| AP Top 25 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
| 1 | Virginia (48) | 26-2 | 1,608 |
| 2 | Michigan State (17) | 28-3 | 1,571 |
| 3 | Xavier | 25-4 | 1,422 |
| 4 | Villanova | 25-4 | 1,416 |
| 5 | Duke | 24-5 | 1,362 |
| 6 | Kansas | 23-6 | 1,272 |
| 7 | Gonzaga | 27-4 | 1,231 |
| 8 | Purdue | 26-5 | 1,178 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 22-7 | 1,140 |
| 10 | Cincinnati | 25-4 | 1,013 |
| 11 | Wichita State | 23-5 | 945 |
| 12 | Texas Tech | 22-7 | 887 |
| 13 | Ohio State | 24-7 | 791 |
| 14 | Auburn | 24-5 | 781 |
| 15 | Michigan | 24-7 | 753 |
| 16 | Tennessee | 21-7 | 564 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | 23-4 | 558 |
| 18 | Clemson | 21-7 | 499 |
| 19 | Arizona | 22-7 | 450 |
| 20 | West Virginia | 21-8 | 429 |
| 21 | Nevada | 25-5 | 386 |
| 22 | Saint Mary's | 27-4 | 318 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 20-9 | 174 |
| 24 | Middle Tennessee | 23-5 | 144 |
| 25 | Houston | 22-6 | 45 |
Many of us who read (and write) here came up in a time that X was listed as Xavier (OH) and was subject to only occasional national attention. Many of us remember Tim Whelan’s ill-fated wait for dental care as he vowed not to have the tooth he broke off in Semaj’s elbow repaired until the Muskies cracked the top 25.
We’ve spent a lot of time and digital ink crapping on the polls as so inaccurate that they’re basically useless, and I think we stand by that. They’re not much as a measure of a team’s quality, but they are more effective in assessing a team’s standing in the national consciousness. There, Xavier continues to rise.