[jwplayer 18QegcJn-sNi3MVSU]
Week 10 College Basketball Rankings: Nevada Drops After Losing To New Mexico
The Wolf Pack are now ranked in the double-digits
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Nevada’s rankings take a hit.
The Nevada Wolf Pack were expected to drop quite a bit after being upset against New Mexicon on Saturday night, 85-58, but the drop is not as big as some thought.
The Wolf Pack are no longer a member of the single-digit ranked club as they are now 10th in the Associated Press poll and 11th in the USA TODAY Coaches poll.
Obviously, all is not lost for Reno but it does pose a few questions as to where they should be ranked. Far too many times this year they have fallen behind by a double-digit margin only to come back and win the game, but the loss to the Lobos was more than just Nevada having a slow start.
The Lobos defense used a zone which Nevada could not shake as they tried to shoot its way out of the slump. Make no mistake, other teams will mix in some zone defense and wait for the Wolf Pack to defeat them.
Nevada has the talent and athletes to get to the hoop and draw fouls and get to the line. While a zone defense makes a bit different to handle it still can be done and is a way to break down a zone when it collapses and find an open player for an easy bucket.
Being around the 10th ranked mark is more good news than bad news. It means that Nevada is still highly respected by the coaches and national media, but getting back up to the top five might take more of other teams losing ahead with a combination of the Wolf Pack cruising through the Mountain West. The latter is not a guarantee for this team.
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Associated Press poll
1. Duke
2. Michigan
3. Tennessee
4. Virginia
5. Gonzaga
6. Michigan State
7. Kansas
8. Texas Tech
9. Virginia Tech
10. Nevada
11. Auburn
12. North Carolina
13. Florida State
14. Mississippi State
15. North Carolina State
16. Ohio State
17. Houston
18. Kentucky
19. Buffalo
20. Iowa State
21. Marquette
22. Indiana
23. Oklahoma
24. St. John’s
25. TCU
USA TODAY coaches poll
1. Virginia (11 first-place votes)
2. Duke (8)
3. Tennessee (6)
4. Michigan (6)
5. Michigan Stae
6. Gonzaga
7. Virginia Tech
8. Texas Tech
9. Kansas
10. Auburn
11. Nevada
12. North Carolina
13. Florida State
14. Mississippi State
15. Houston
16. NC State
17. Ohio State
18. Kentucky
19. Marquette
20. Buffalo
21. Iowa State
22. Oklahoma
23. St. John’s
24. Indiana
25. Iowa
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