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With a huge win at Arkansas followed by a strong first half performance at Villanova, the Akron Zips vaulted into the top spot of our power rankings jumping a still undefeated Central Michigan team. The Zips received seven first place votes from nine voters, with the Chippewas nabbing the other two.
Note: Ballots were submitted by midnight on Sunday, November 22nd.
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Points | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akron (7) | 11 | 2 |
| 2 | Central Michigan (2) | 16 | 1 |
| 3 | Ohio | 43 | 8 |
| 4 | Kent State | 44 | 3 |
| 5 | Toledo | 47 | 5 |
| 6 | Western Michigan | 53 | 4 |
| 7 | Eastern Michigan | 63 | t6 |
| 8 | Northern Illinois | 66 | 9 |
| 9 | Buffalo | 74 | t6 |
| 10 | Miami | 88 | 10 |
| 11 | Ball State | 95 | 12 |
| 12 | Bowling Green | 102 | 11 |
What a big week for the Ohio Bobcats! Saul Phillips' squad has been playing well to start off the season with a 3-1 record to show for it. They've looked mightily impressive in each victory and was leading Tulsa by 19 early in the second half before falling by two at the final whistle. Keep in mind this was the same Tulsa team that had just knocked off #9 Wichita State a few days earlier.
The other large change from last week is a three-spot drop for the Buffalo Bulls. Sitting at 3-2 with wins over Vermont, North Carolina A&T and a non-D1 team, it's a little surprising to see them drop this far. The have looked bad in their two losses: a 77-58 defeat at Old Dominion and a 89-67 blowout loss at Saint Joe's. Those two are top-100 KenPom teams, so it's no shame in losing to those teams on the road. Buffalo is still going to be good this season, so they won't be in the bottom third of the conference for long.
Northern Illinois is undefeated and is starting to gain some respect among the voters, moving up a spot to 8th. KenPom actually has NIU ahead of Ohio in his rankings, and the play of Marshawn Wilson has been stellar this year. It'll be a dogfight in the MAC West, and don't count the Huskies out of any game.