Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Two of Utah's college basketball teams received different trajectories after splitting the week's results.
BYU crept up two spots to No. 19 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 after rebounding from a road loss to Oklahoma by staving off Kansas State at home Saturday night.
Utah State didn't get quite the same treatment, falling the last three spots out of the poll. The Aggies are one spot outside of the top 25 by both the Associated Press panel and the USA Today Coaches Poll after rebounding from consecutive losses to Nevada and San Diego State with an 80-61 win over Boise State on a night that Utah State honored former head coach Stew Morrill by naming the Spectrum's court after him.
The victory broke a tie between the Broncos and Aggies (among others) for first place in the Mountain West, giving Utah State (20-4) a one-game lead atop a crowded conference with an 8-3 record in league play.
The Aggies' 160 points are the 26th most in the country, and lead five Mountain West teams in the "others receiving votes" category: Colorado State with 145, San Diego State with 84, Nevada with 57, and New Mexico with 27 points.
BYU — which is ranked No. 17 in the Coaches Poll — is one of six Big 12 teams ranked in the AP Top 25, led by No. 3 Houston through Oklahoma, which re-entered the top 25 at No. 25 after the Sooners' 82-66 win over BYU combined with a 66-62 win Saturday night over Bedlam rival Oklahoma State. Texas Tech (111 points), TCU (10) and Texas (9) are also receiving votes.
The Big 12 continues to lead the country with six ranked teams, followed closely by five from the SEC. The Atlantic Coast, Big Ten and Big East conferences each have three, while the Pac-12, Atlantic 10, West Coast, Missouri Valley and American Athletic conferences have one apiece.
POLL ALERT: UConn, Purdue remain 1-2 in AP Top 25 as major shuffle sees Kansas, North Carolina drop, Iowa State crash top 10; Indiana State ranked for the first time since the days of Larry Bird.
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) February 12, 2024
Full poll: https://t.co/ZJG5mgWrsapic.twitter.com/UYthsmMKmi
The MVC is represented by Indiana State, which entered the top 25 at No. 23 for the first time since Larry Bird led the Sycamores to the No. 1 ranking during the 1978-79 season.
Indiana State, which also ranks No. 24 in the Coaches Poll, is 22-3 on the season with a 13-1 record in Missouri Valley play and a current nine-game winning streak following Saturday's 73-71 win at Missouri State that has the people of Terre Haute partying like it's 1979.
"It's a group that the community can really wrap their arms around and I think they have. That's just great to see," Indiana State coach Josh Schertz said, per the Associated Press. "I know Terre Haute. They love basketball. I know there's a great history and tradition, from Larry Bird to John Wooden to Clarence Walker."
The Sycamores ranked 37th in KenPom behind the No. 1 adjusted field-goal percentage, as well as 20th in the NET, and fifth nationally in scoring at 85.6 points per game. Is that enough to keep Indiana State on track for its first NCAA Tournament since 2011?
That's the goal.
"Our goal is we want to get to the NCAA Tournament and advance," Schertz said. "You never want to put ceilings on yourself. You want to get to the tournament and win games and go as far as you can. You saw what happened last year with Florida Atlantic and San Diego State playing in the Final Four — there's nothing outside of your reach."
Connecticut stayed on atop, receiving 45 of the 61 first-place votes from the national media panel, while Purdue took the other 16 for No. 2. Houston moved up two spots to No. 3, followed by Marquette and Arizona to round out the top five.
Saint Mary's moved back into the AP Top 25 for the first time since the preseason after wins over Pacific and Portland capped a 12-game winning streak to improve the Gaels to 20-6 and 11-0 in West Coast Conference play. Gonzaga is also receiving votes after its 89-85 win over Kentucky, which dropped five spots to No. 22.
POLL ALERT: Ohio State climbs to No. 2, Stanford up to No. 3 behind unbeaten No. 1 South Carolina in women's AP Top 25 while Iowa, N.C. State, Colorado, UConn fall.https://t.co/ZpzgqczgyXpic.twitter.com/NWlgJsuQXj
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) February 12, 2024
Women's AP Top 25
Utah women's basketball fell two spots but saved its top-25 status after Sunday's 70-48 win over Oregon salvaged a weekly split that included a 58-44 loss to then-No. 17 Oregon State.
The Beavers moved up six spots to No. 11 after their fifth-straight win and a first-ever road win over a top-five opponent Sunday at Colorado.
Undefeated South Carolina continued its run atop the poll, receiving all 35 first-place votes, while Ohio State (21-3) climbed to No. 2 after Iowa's loss Sunday to Nebraska. Stanford is No. 3, followed by the Hawkeyes and Texas.
BYU women sweep Big 12 honors
BYU's Lauren Gustin was player of the week and Amari Whiting freshman of the week by the Big 12 after the Cougars' wins over No. 18 Baylor and a road victory over Cincinnati.
Whiting nearly collected the program's first-ever triple double with 14 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in a 78-66 win over Baylor — the Cougars' first win over an AP Top 25 program this season and the first under second-year head coach Amber Whiting. She added 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block against the Bearcats.
Gustin led BYU with 23 points and 16 rebounds against the Bears, then popped off for 21 points, 20 rebounds and two blocked shots in a 69-57 win over Cincinnati — the Cougars' first road win in Big 12 play this season.
"I'm really proud of Lauren for how she played this week," her head coach said. "She is a rock for our team and you always know that you'll get her best effort. She holds herself to an incredibly high standard and it's fun to see her elevate her game."
