BATON ROUGE — The LSU Tigers were ranked in the major college basketball polls for the ninth straight week in the 2006-07 season and for the 14th consecutive poll dating back to last year, but there is a noticeable disparity in placement by the media and the coaches.
The media AP poll moved the Tigers, 10-3, up from 17th to 14th in the poll announced Monday, while the coaches voting in the ESPN/USA Today poll left LSU for a second week at No. 19 despite three victories on consecutive nights in the LSU-hosted Hispanic College Funds Classic. LSU is the top three-loss team in both polls.
Florida from the SEC remains No. 3 in both polls with Alabama, a winner over Oklahoma on Monday, stayed at No. 8. Tennessee is 19 in the AP poll and 25th in the coaches poll, while Kentucky is receiving votes in the media poll.
Ironically, Saturday’s opponent, Connecticut, losers for the first time Saturday at West Virginia, is behind LSU in the AP poll at No. 18, while the coaches have put the Huskies five spots ahead of LSU at No. 14.
LSU and UConn meet Saturday night in Baton Rouge at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center at 8 p.m. in the Tigers’ final non-conference game of the season. Tickets for the game, nationally televised on ESPN, remain on sale at the LSU Athletic Ticket Office and online at www.LSUsports.net for $14 and $5 for youth (ages 3-12).
ESPN will also bring its basketball version of College Gameday to the Assembly Center for the first time on Saturday with live shows at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. The 10 a.m. show will be open to the public with free admission to the building. Doors will open on the upper concourse of the Maravich Center.
Week 9 AP Top 25
1. UCLA (71) 13-0 1,799
2. North Carolina (1) 12-1 1,721
3. Florida 12-2 1,623
4. Wisconsin 14-1 1,576
5. Duke 12-1 1,446
6. Ohio State 11-2 1,387
7. Arizona 11-1 1,371
8. Alabama 12-1 1,303
9. Kansas 12-2 1,275
10. Pittsburgh 12-2 1,101
11. Texas A&M 11-2 1,069
12. Oklahoma State 13-1 988
13. Butler 13-1 833
14. LSU 10-3 695
15. Marquette 13-2 669
16. Oregon 13-0 657
17. Notre Dame 12-1 614
18. Connecticut 11-1 499
19. Tennessee 12-2 479
20. Air Force 13-1 385
21. Nevada 12-1 350
22. Memphis 10-3 317
23. Clemson 14-0 316
24. Washington 10-3 308
25. West Virginia 11-1 118
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Wichita State 116, Michigan State 73, Florida State 58, Texas 53, Maryland 48, Washington State 38, Georgetown 25, Northern Iowa 22, Kentucky 21, Drexel 8, Syracuse 7, UNLV 7, Southern Illinois 6, Missouri State 5, Purdue 5, Gonzaga 4, Georgia Tech 3, Missouri 1, Xavier 1.
Week 9 ESPN/USA Today Poll
1. UCLA (31) 13-0 775
2. North Carolina 12-1 742
3. Florida 12-2 697
4. Wisconsin 14-1 650
5. Duke 12-1 627
6. Ohio State 11-2 599
7. Arizona 11-1 597
8. Alabama 12-1 553
9. Kansas 12-2 516
10. Pittsburgh 12-2 475
11. Texas A&M 11-2 436
12. Oklahoma State 13-1 394
13. Butler 13-1 378
14. Connecticut 11-1 308
15. Nevada 12-1 290
16. Air Force 13-1 289
17. Oregon 13-0 266
18. Clemson 14-0 205
19. LSU 10-3 203
20. Washington 10-3 176
21. Marquette 13-2 172
22. Notre Dame 12-1 148
23. Memphis 10-3 116
24. Michigan State 13-2 107
25. Tennessee 12-2 66
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
West Virginia 40, Maryland 39, Wichita State 31, UNLV 26, Texas 22, Washington State 16, Southern Illinois 16, Syracuse 14, Florida State 10, Drexel 7, Northern Iowa 7, Missouri State 6, Creighton 3, Georgetown 3, Illinois 1, Winthrop 1.