The final three undefeated teams'??Duke, Florida and Pittsburgh'all lost this weekend, bringing about big changes in the Associated Press college basketball poll.
Georgetown Hoya fans stormed the court and proudly celebrated their team's first victory over a No. 1 team in 21 years. Duke (17-1) had been ranked No. 1 since the preseason poll and dropped to No. 2 after losing at Georgetown. As a result, the Hoyas (12-4) gained a Top 25 spot for the first time since Dec. 31, 2001. In a remarkable upset, Georgetown prevented Duke from having its first 18-0 start in school history. While J.J. Redick successfully met his career-high 41 points, the Blue Devils were unable to beat the Hoyas, who shot 61 percent and kept Shelden Williams to a season-low four points.
'We've come close, we've been there, we've been at the other end of some lopsided defeats,' John Thompson III, head coach of the Hoyas, told the AP. 'And for that group to win this game for that group to experience that, is special.'
Prior to the game, Duke had not trailed by double digits at any point in the season. Even more startling for Blue Devil fans is the fact that Duke only led once in the game at 22-20.
In another major upset, St. John's beat Pittsburgh, ending the Panthers undefeated season. The Red Storm's 55-50 victory came as a shock to the No. 9 Panthers, which had won six-straight road games and seven of its last 10 games at Madison Square Garden. St. John's played a great game from the beginning'scoring the game's first 14 points and holding a 31-19 lead at halftime.
Lamont Hamilton's efforts helped defeat the unbeaten Panthers. Hamilton matched his career high 24 points, which include his game-breaking two free throws with 12 seconds left in the game. The Red Storm was determined to win not only for themselves but also in honor of the 10 former coaches and players who were honored at a halftime ceremony.
'[Former Red Storm player] Chris Mullin came in and said he was very proud of us for representing the school the way we did,' Hamilton told the AP. 'That meant a lot and made a great day greater.'
When Florida began its game, they it was the last undefeated team in the country and eager to hold that title. However, Tennessee stomped on the Gators' best start in school history with its 80-76 victory. The Gators would've been the prime candidate for the No. 1 spot had they won the game. The Volunteers ended Florida's longest winning streak in school history, due in large part to Chris Lofton's performance. Lofton scored a career-high 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Tennessee's defense also played a large part in securing their victory. They entered the game leading the league in steals at 11 per game. They finished saturday with nine steals, along with Florida's 19 turnovers.
With Florida and Duke falling, UConn was able to move into the No. 1 spot in both polls. The Huskies are now 16-1 with recent wins over Syracuse and then-No. 17 Louisville.
While these three upsets were big, the Badgers loss to North Dakota State seemed to shock the nation the most. The Badgers fell eight spots this week to No. 21.
'The Associated Press contributed to this report
