James Madison enters AP Top 25 for first time; Michigan State drops to No. 18

Field Level Media|published: Mon 13th November, 14:45 2023

Nov 6, 2023; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Tyson Walker (2) drives through James Madison Dukes forward T.J. Bickerstaff (3) and guard Bryant Randleman (4) during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. credits: Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan State dropped 14 spots in The Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday, going from No. 4 in the preseason ranking all the way down to No. 18 after a season-opening upset loss to James Madison.

Due to its huge overtime upset, James Madison is ranked No. 24, entering the Top 25 for the first time since transitioning to Division I in 1976.

Marking the first November home loss in coach Tom Izzo's 29-year coaching career, the host Spartans (1-1) lost 79-76 in overtime to then unranked Dukes (3-0) last Monday to open the season. Michigan State rebounded with a 74-51 win over visiting Southern Indiana on Thursday but the damage was done in terms of the AP poll.

The win was a huge boost for James Madison (3-0), which defeated a ranked foe for just the second time. The Dukes beat No. 19 Cal during the 1992-93 season.

Kansas (2-0) remained at No. 1 in the poll, with the Jayhawks receiving 51 of 62 first-place votes and a total of 1,530 points.

Purdue (2-0) jumped over Duke to take the No. 2 spot after notching two decisive wins, a 98-45 drubbing of Samford to open the season followed by a dominating 87-57 over Morehead State on Friday. Purdue received seven first-place votes.

Three first-place votes went to Arizona (2-0) which jumped from No. 12 to No. 3 after beating former No. 2 Duke 78-73 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday. Duke (1-1) dropped to No. 9.

Marquette (2-0) and UConn (2-0) both moved up one spot to round out the top five in spots 4 and 5, respectively.

San Diego State (1-1), which played in last season's national title fell, fell out of the rankings with a nine-point loss at BYU. The Aztecs were No. 17 in the preseason poll.

Preseason No. 23 Saint Mary's (2-1) sustained a home loss to Weber State to drop out of the poll. Meanwhile, Colorado entered at No. 25 after easy wins over Towson and Grambling State.

The full list of the AP Top 25:

1. Kansas (2-0)

2. Purdue (2-0)

3. Arizona (2-0)

4. Marquette (2-0)

5. UConn (2-0)

6. Houston (2-0)

7. Tennessee (2-0)

8. Creighton (2-0)

9. Duke (1-1)

10. Florida Atlantic (1-0)

11. Gonzaga (1-0)