The Pitt Panthers were ranked No. 3 in last week’s AP college basketball rankings, behind Duke and Ohio State. But Pitt’s convincing loss to No. 11 Tennessee should bump Pitt down several spots. Just how low will the Panthers go?
No. 4 Kansas stayed undefeated and beat No. 14 Memphis, so the Jayhawks will definitely pass Pitt. No. 5 Kansas State and No. 6 UConn didn’t face any serious tests this past week and will probably pass Pitt as well. No. 7 Michigan State lost to No. 8 Syracuse, which stayed undefeated, so Syracuse should bump Pitt while Michigan State doesn’t. No. 9 Georgetown lost to Temple, and that’s probably where we can stop worrying about Pitt falling, although Tennessee has now beaten two ranked teams and should move past Pitt as well.
Here’s my guess, then, at what the AP poll will look like when it comes out:
1. Duke
2. Ohio State
3. Kansas
4. Kansas State
5. UConn
6. Syracuse
7. Tennessee
8. Pitt
9. Baylor
10. Villanova
Pitt will bounce back nicely in the rankings if the Panthers can beat UConn in two weeks.