AP College Basketball Poll 2024: Complete Week 4 Men’s Rankings Released
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVNovember 25, 2024
B/R
A 14-point victory over Arizona wasn’t enough to catapult Duke into the Top 10.
Rebounding from their upset at the hands of Kentucky, the Blue Devils moved up from 12th to 11th in the newest Associated Press Top 25 poll after scoring one of the biggest victories from the third week of the 2024-25 season.
Week 4 AP Top 25
1. Kansas
2. UConn
3. Gonzaga
4. Auburn
5. Iowa State
6. Houston
7. Tennessee
8. Kentucky
9. Alabama
10. Marquette
11. Duke
12. North Carolina
13. Purdue
14. Indiana
15. Wisconsin
16. Cincinnati
17. Baylor
18. Florida
19. Arkansas
20. Texas A&M
21. Creighton
22. Xavier
23. Ole Miss
24. Arizona
25. Mississippi State
Through five games, freshman phenom Cooper Flagg is proving the massive hype surrounding him was justified. He increased his scoring average to 17.8 points per game after dropping 24 on Arizona in Tuscon. He added six rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks in an excellent all-around performance.
Duke’s defense may have made a bigger statement. It held Arizona to 55 points on 39.6 percent shooting. Wildcats star Caleb Love shot 3-of-13 from the field en route to an eight-point night.
The Blue Devils’ talent isn’t in question. Head coach Jon Scheyer assembled a roster loaded with blue-chip recruits. Five games in, Scheyer and his staff are getting those players to buy into a clear defensive vision, and that bodes well for Duke’s quest to make a deep NCAA tournament run.
On the other side, Arizona might have gotten a reality check thanks to its 2-2 start. What’s particularly concerning is how it suffered the two losses.
The Wildcats watched John Tonje go for 41 points as he spurred Wisconsin to a big upset. The Badgers knocked down 12 three-pointers.
After the defense went missing, it was the Arizona offense’s turn to come up lacking against Duke. The blueprint is out for how to attack Tommy Lloyd’s squad.
Kevin Zimmerman @KZimmermanAZTommy Lloyd’s halfcourt offense needs to dump this high-low nonsense against big, athletic teams.
Granted, Purdue is a clear illustration for how quickly the narrative around a team can shift within the first few weeks.
The Boilermakers jumped seven spots to No. 6 in the last AP poll after taking down Alabama. So what if they lost Zach Edey to the NBA?
It turns out the excitement around Purdue might’ve been a little premature after it lost 76-58 to Marquette. Edey’s absence was clearly felt as the Golden Eagles had a 38-22 edge in paint scoring.
CBB Analytics @CBBAnalyticsMarquette put on a defensive clinic against Purdue.🔒
– Held Purdue to 40.0% shooting from the field
– 11 steals
– 5 blocks
– 19 fast break points pic.twitter.com/eW8YvWWIxc
Marquette’s 6-0 start has the team up to 10th in the AP poll now. Games against Iowa State and Wisconsin loom large in December. Should the Golden Eagles reel off 10 straight wins to start the campaign, they could have a serious claim for No. 1 votes.
Thanksgiving Week could create some separation at the top of the AP poll given how many huge contests are on the schedule.
Auburn vs. Iowa State is the early headliner in the Maui Invitational and more colossal matchups will follow from a field that includes UConn and North Carolina. Tuesday will see Houston vs. Alabama and Kansas vs. Duke. Rutgers playing Alabama on Wednesday could be interesting with the Scarlet Knights’ freshman tandem of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper getting tested in a big way.
