NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 25: The Syracuse Orange celebrate after defeating the Stanford Cardinal to win the 2011 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden on November 25, 2011 in New York City. Syracuse defeated Stanford 69-63. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Thanks to losses by both Kentucky and Ohio State, the Syracuse Orange are the new No. 1 team in the country.
Thanks in large part to weekend losses by Kentucky and Ohio State, Syracuse is the third No. 1 team of the young college basketball season. The Orange earned 28 of the 30 possible first place votes in the USA Today/ESPN Poll, and 51 of the 65 first-place votes cast in The Associated Press Top 25 Poll. They join the Wildcats and preseason No. 1 North Carolina as squads who have graced the tops of both polls.
Kentucky, which had held the top spot in both polls for the past two weeks, fell to No. 3 in each set of rankings after losing to Indiana at the buzzer on Saturday. Ohio State, which played without star Jared Sullinger in a loss to Kansas, held strong at No. 2 in both polls. The AP rounded out its top five with Louisville and North Carolina, while the coaches kept the Cards at No. 4 but placed Duke at No. 5, one spot ahead of the Tar Heels.
Indiana made its first appearance in either poll since 2008, debuting at No. 18 in the AP poll and No. 20 in the coahes'. Undefeated Murray State was another notable newcomer in the AP top 25, checking in at No. 24. The Racers were not ranked by the coaches.
Here are your full polls:
The Associated Press Top 25 Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
| 1 | Syracuse (51) | 10-0 | 1607 | 3 |
| 2 | Ohio State (7) | 8-1 | 1478 | 2 |
| 3 | Kentucky (4) | 8-1 | 1468 | 1 |
| 4 | Louisville (2) | 9-0 | 1374 | 5 |
| 5 | North Carolina (1) | 8-2 | 1373 | 4 |
| 6 | Baylor | 7-0 | 1284 | 6 |
| 7 | Duke | 9-1 | 1273 | 7 |
| 8 | Xavier | 8-0 | 1122 | 8 |
| 9 | Connecticut | 8-1 | 1087 | 9 |
| 10 | Missouri | 9-0 | 1030 | 10 |
| 11 | Marquette | 9-0 | 988 | 11 |
| 12 | Kansas | 7-2 | 945 | 13 |
| 13 | Florida | 7-2 | 891 | 12 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 8-2 | 728 | 14 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh | 9-1 | 696 | 15 |
| 16 | Georgetown | 8-1 | 602 | 18 |
| 17 | Mississippi State | 9-1 | 574 | 17 |
| 18 | Indiana | 9-0 | 462 | 39 |
| 19 | Illinois | 10-0 | 375 | 24 |
| 20 | Michigan | 7-2 | 354 | 20 |
| 21 | Michigan State | 8-2 | 310 | 28 |
| 22 | Texas A&M | 8-1 | 270 | 22 |
| 23 | Alabama | 8-2 | 204 | 16 |
| 24 | Murray State | 10-0 | 93 | 40 |
| 25 | Creighton | 7-1 | 88 | 19 |
| 25 | Vanderbilt | 6-3 | 88 | 27 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Harvard 73, San Diego State 59, Virginia 57, UNLV 41, Stanford 39, Saint Louis 26, Gonzaga 25, Memphis 13, Cleveland State 7, Northern Iowa 7, Arizona 5, California 3, Long Beach State 3, Northwestern 2, Wichita State 1 | ||||
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