Nevada Sports Net columnist Chris Murray is one of 62 voters in the college basketball AP Top 25 poll. Here is a look at his ballot this week.
On the rise
* Gonzaga: There were no major risers, so let’s highlight Gonzaga, which is up to a season-best No. 6 after its 21-1 start, which includes victories over Alabama, Kentucky, UCLA, Oklahoma, Creighton, Maryland, Oregon and Arizona State in non-league play. This is Gonzaga’s last season in the WCC before it moves to the Pac-12 next year, with the addition of the Zags being the Pac-12’s biggest coup.
On the fall
* Purdue: The preseason No. 1, Purdue was rolling along just fine this season, starting the year 17-1 while winning its first seven Big Ten games. But the Boilermakers hit a snag last week, losing on the road at UCLA and at home against Illinois, both in close games that Purdue led for the most part. Those losses knocked the Boilermakers down from sixth on our ballot to 12th.
Chris Murray’s AP Top 25
1. Arizona (1)
2. Nebraska (2)
3. Duke (3)
4. UConn (4)
5. Michigan (5)
6. Gonzaga (8)
7. Michigan State (9)
8. Iowa State (11)
9. BYU (10)
10. Houston (7)
11. Illinois (13)
12. Purdue (6)
13. Texas Tech (15)
14. Vanderbilt (12)
15. Virginia (14)
16. North Carolina (21)
17. Kansas (23)
18. Arkansas (20)
19. Clemson (18)
20. Georgia (19)
21. Saint Louis (22)
22. Louisville (24)
23. St. John’s (25)
24. Alabama (16)
25. Florida (17)
Dropped out: None
Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.