As the fortunes of local college basketball teams have changed, they have received more attention in the various NCAA basketball rankings. This week, two local teams in particular -- Georgetown and George Mason -- received some love in the AP Top 25 poll.
Riding a six-game winning streak, the Hoyas have moved all the way to No. 11 in the poll, up two spots from last week. The Hoyas have jumped from No. 23 to No. 11 during that stretch, salvaging what could have easily been a lost season. Georgetown remains fifth among Big East teams, trailing No. 4 Pittsburgh, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 9 Villanova and No. 10 Connecticut.
The bigger news, however, is that George Mason is getting close to joining Georgetown in the poll. The Patriots did not jump into the Top 25, but were among the others receiving votes, putting them close to being ranked for the first time since making the Final Four in 2006. George Mason received 19 votes in all, good for 32nd in the rankings.
Here are the complete rankings, via SBNation.com.
- Ohio State (65)
- Kansas
- Texas
- Pittsburgh
- Duke
- San Diego State
- BYU
- Notre Dame
- Villanova
- Connecticut
- Georgetown
- Syracuse
- Wisconsin
- Purdue
- Arizona
- Louisville
- Florida
- Kentucky
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Utah State
- Texas A&M
- Vanderbilt
- Temple
- West Virginia
Others Receiving Votes: Minnesota (16-7) 88; Wichita State (20-4) 29; Coastal Carolina (22-2) 26; Cincinnati (18-5) 22; St. Mary's (20-4) 22; Alabama (15-7) 21; George Mason (19-5) 19; Washington (15-7) 15; Marquette (14-9) 12; Xavier (16-6) 12; Florida State (16-7) 11; Belmont (22-4) 5; Illinois (15-8) 5; UCLA (16-7) 5; UNLV (17-6) 5; Baylor (15-7) 4; Colorado State (16-7) 2; Texas-El Paso (18-5) 2; Tennessee (15-8) 2; Duquesne (16-6) 1; Cleveland State (21-4) 1; Missouri State (18-6) 1