New basketball polls: Kansas State unranked, but on the radar

Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, and Villanova retained their collective grip on the top four spots in this week’s college basketball polls, but the important news in Manhattan is that K-State has finally found its way onto some ballots.

In today’s poll release, the Wildcats received ten points in the AP poll, good enough for a figurative placing of tied for 35th. The coaches poll has the Cats tied for 41st with four points.

The relative difference may have a logical basis. From the media perspective, K-State is a team whose only loss is a two-point neutral court setback against an Arizona State Sun Devils team which is now ranked 16th in the nation, and while K-State hasn’t really played anyone their record at least deserves notice.

As for the coaches, they might actually be looking at some statistics and understanding why our own Eric Rubottom is about to have an aneurysm.

Every Big 12 team with the exception of Iowa State received votes this week, although only four are officially ranked:

• Kansas (7-0, 2 AP/2 coaches)
• West Virginia (7-1, 18/16)
• TCU (8-0, 20/20)
• Baylor (5-2, 23/22)
• Texas Tech (rv-26/rv-26)
• Texas (rv-31/rv-33t)
• K-State (7-1, rv-35t/rv-41t)
• Oklahoma (rv-39/rv-31)
• Oklahoma State (rv-45t/—)

The one major discrepancy here besides K-State’s placement is, obviously, Oklahoma’s. There’s not much to separate the two teams in the media poll, but the coaches are far more impressed with the work turned in by Lon Kruger’s charges.

Also of note, Wichita State moved up two spots in both polls from eighth to sixth, and former Big 12 member Texas A&M is ranked seventh in both polls.

In today’s women’s AP poll, K-State relinquished the four points it had last week after their loss to Missouri, and is no longer receiving votes.