Men's Basketball Ranked 21st In ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll
2/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2008
MORAGA, CA - For the third consecutive week, the Saint Mary's men's basketball team is ranked in the top-25 in both national polls. Saint Mary's moved up two spots to No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and held its ranking at No. 25 in this week's Associated Press Poll. This season marks the third time that SMC has cracked the AP Top-25, and ties a school record for most weeks in the top-25 during a season.
The Gaels garnered 144 votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and moved up two spots to No. 21 in this week's poll. This marks the fourth straight week, and sixth time this season, that SMC has been ranked in the coaches poll. SMC garnered 204 votes in this week's Associated Press Poll, which is up by 79 votes, from last week's 125 votes.
Since the Associated Press poll began in 1948, Saint Mary's has appeared as a nationally ranked team in three seasons. During the 1958-59 season Saint Mary's was ranked 14th in the first poll of the season. After falling out of the rankings after one week, Saint Mary's finished the year ranked the last three weeks. In being ranked in the top-25 for four weeks this season, Saint Mary's ties the 1958-59 team with the most weeks being nationally ranked during a season. During the 1988-89 campaign, Saint Mary's was ranked in the top-25 the final three weeks of the season. Being ranked for three straight weeks this season, ties the 1958-59 and 1988-89 seasons for the most consecutive weeks in the national rankings.
This season, the Gaels have been ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll six weeks, including the last four consecutive, and have been ranked in the Associated Press Poll four weeks, including the last three. In the five weeks as a top-25 team in the coaches poll, the Gaels have a 5-3 overall record, and in the three weeks when ranked in the Associated Press Top-25, Saint Mary's has a 3-2 record.
Following a 69-65 win over San Diego State to improve to 7-0, Saint Mary's cracked the top-25 for the first time in 18 years, earning a No. 24 ranking in both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls on Dec. 10. After a loss to Southern Illinois, SMC dropped out of the top-25 but continued to get votes in both polls. On Dec. 31, SMC returned to No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Following a loss to No. 14 Texas, the Gaels dropped out of the top-25, but continued to receive votes in both polls. Below is a week-by-week listing for Saint Mary's in both the coaches and writers polls.
ESPN/USA Today Coaches PollDate Rank VotesFeb. 11 21st 144Feb. 4 23rd 96Jan. 28 20th 183Jan. 21 24th 89Jan. 14 NR (26) 39Jan. 7 NR (28) 19Dec. 31 T24th 53Dec. 24 NR (27) 22Dec. 17 NR (35) 7Dec. 10 24th 73Dec. 3 NR (26) 48Nov. 26 NR (29) 39
Associated Press PollDate Rank VotesFeb. 11 25th 204Feb. 4 25th 125Jan. 28 21st 310Jan. 21 NR (26) 144Jan. 14 NR (29) 41Jan. 7 NR (33) 12Dec. 31 NR (26) 85Dec. 24 NR (29) 51Dec. 17 NR (31) 30Dec. 10 24th 197Dec. 3 NR (26) 115Nov. 26 NR (36) 50
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