Hoosiers stay atop polls

After a pair of lopsided home victories, combined with Duke’s loss to Maryland on Saturday, IU retained its No. 1 spot in the AP poll released Monday and returned to the summit of the Coaches poll.

ACC upstart Miami rose to No. 2 in both polls despite a controversial narrow win against Clemson on Sunday evening. While IU gained 17 first place votes, the Hurricanes are actually closer to IU in the newest AP poll than Duke was last week, with the teams separated by just 26 points.

Gonzaga broke its own mark for highest mid-major ranking this season and now sits at No. 3.

IU’s Tuesday opponent, Michigan State, jumped to No. 4, setting up IU’s second matchup of top five teams this season. The Spartans obliterated one-time No. 1 team Michigan 75-52 on Feb. 12 to shoot up from No. 8.

They sit at No. 5 in the coaches poll while Florida, the AP No. 5, is fourth there.

Even with the loss to its in-state rival, Michigan still checks in at No. 7, giving the Big Ten three of the top seven teams. The league boasts five ranked teams in each poll with Ohio State No. 18 and Wisconsin No. 19.

Illinois and Minnesota also received votes from both polls.

Outside of the conference, IU opponents Georgetown and Butler are ranked No. 11 and No. 15, respectively, reversing their places from last week.

In-state team Notre Dame rounds out the poll at No. 25, while former IU great Steve Alford’s New Mexico squad is No. 16.

— Max McCombs