How far did Penn State men’s basketball fall in the AP Top 25 after 2 straight losses?
Penn State men’s basketball dropped in The Associated Press Top 25 poll after two losses in the past week.
The Nittany Lions are No. 16 in the most recent poll, released Monday, with 618 voting points. They were No. 9 in the last poll and have now moved down for the first time since re-entering the poll in January. They received 1,024 voting points last week.
Head coach Pat Chambers has led Penn State to an 20-7 record on the season and a 10-6 record in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions lost both games they played in the past week after winning eight games in a row. They lost to Illinois, 62-56, Tuesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center to snap the winning streak. They followed that with a loss Sunday afternoon on the road against Indiana, 68-60, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The Nittany Lions are tied for second place in the Big Ten after the two losses. They’re two games back from first place in the conference, with only Maryland ahead of them. If the two teams tie by themselves at the top of the standings, Penn State will win conference title via a head-to-head win over the Terps in December.
The Nittany Lions are among six Big Ten teams that are ranked in Monday’s poll, the most in the country among conferences. They’re alongside Maryland (No. 9), Iowa (No. 18), Michigan (No. 19), Ohio State (No. 23) and Michigan State (No. 24). The conference also has two teams receiving voting points outside the top 25. Illinois has the second-most points among the group with 82 while Wisconsin has the 12th-most points with seven.
The Nittany Lions will be back in action Wednesday in a crucial home matchup. They’ll take on Rutgers in the first of two games this week. The Scarlet Knights are the No. 32 team in the country, according to Ken Pomeroy’s KenPom rankings. They handed Penn State a 72-61 loss in early January.
They’ll head back on the road after the game with Rutgers to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes Saturday afternoon. The Hawkeyes are the No. 22 team in the country in the KenPom ranking.
The next AP Poll will be released at noon March 2.
AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll
(Monday, Feb. 24, 2020)
1. Kansas 1,598
2. Baylor 1,532
3. Gonzaga 1,442
4. Dayton 1,413
5. San Diego State 1,287
6. Florida State 1,247
7. Duke 1,186
8. Kentucky 1,130
9. Maryland 1,124
10. Creighton 986
11. Louisville 966
12. Villanova 928
13. Seton Hall 842
14. Oregon 653
15. Auburn 643
16. Penn State 618
17. BYU 598
18. Iowa 489
19. Michigan 329
20. West Virginia 313
21. Colorado 291
22. Texas Tech 226
23. Ohio State 210
24. Michigan State 160
25. Houston 102
Others receiving votes: Arizona State 95, Illinois 82, Arizona 71, Butler 51, Virginia 50, Marquette 41, Stephen F. Austin 29, LSU 24, East Tennessee State 13, Utah State 9, Florida 8, Wisconsin 7, New Mexico State 2, Northern Iowa 2, Liberty 2, UCLA 1
