College Basketball Rankings: Syracuse Falls Out of AP, Coaches Polls

As Jared reminded us all last week, the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team had been ranked for 96 straight weeks. The key word there, unfortunately, is had, as this week's polls saw the Orange dropping considerably out to the dreaded "others receiving votes" pile. It's unlikely you're surprised to see it following a 75-59 thrashing at the hands of Cal, and a tight win over Iowa. Still, a bummer. And you might be a little shocked by how far the Orange fell.

First, the AP Poll: Kentucky's tops again (no surprise), and five ACC teams also find themselves ranked. Duke is No. 4, North Carolina is No. 5, Louisville is No. 6, Virginia is No. 8 and the surprising Miami Hurricanes are No. 17, respectively. Syracuse was 33rd in terms of total votes, with 15 -- one behind unbeaten Providence (who really should've been in this week's poll). Fellow ACC team NC State also received a few votes, and some team in Washington D.C. received 10, which will likely piss you off.

As for the USA Today Coaches Poll: Kentucky is No. 1 there too, as you'd expect. But things change a bit following the Wildcats. Duke is No. 2 there, followed by Louisville (No. 5), North Carolina (No. 6), Virginia (No. 7) and Miami (No. 20), respectively, from the ACC. Syracuse is 29th in terms of total votes, with 26. They're followed immediately by the aforementioned joke of a program from D.C. Notre Dame also receives some votes.

***

So while it's disappointing that streak is over, there's nothing to be annoyed with at all here. We're not in, and rightfully so following a poor offensive showing down at Madison Square Garden. The schedule gives us a shot to jump right back up in both polls soon, though. Ranked Michigan and Villanova teams loom, and give Syracuse golden opportunities for quality wins if it can fix some offensive issues.