You lose to IPFW, you're not going to be the No. 3 team in the country anymore.
Indiana received confirmation of that Monday, when the new AP poll revealed a 10-spot drop for the Hoosiers, who shockingly lost to IPFW last Tuesday.
Despite the plummet down the rankings, Indiana was still the Big Ten's highest-ranked squad. The conference boasts just two other ranked teams — No. 15 Purdue and No. 17 Wisconsin — heading into this week's Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Michigan State and Michigan both fell out of the top 25.
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Indiana's stunning loss brought the lowest of lows following the highest of highs (a season-opening win over Kansas) for Tom Crean's crew. At 4-1, things remain mighty challenging for the Hoosiers prior to the start of Big Ten play. Indiana takes on third-ranked North Carolina on Wednesday in Bloomington and faces 18th-ranked Butler on Dec. 17.
Purdue has won four straight since losing to defending-champion Villanova back on Nov. 14. The Boilermakers rose two spots in this week's poll, up to No. 15 from No. 17 a week ago. Villanova is currently the No. 2 team in the country. Purdue has a tough road test against No. 14 Louisville on Wednesday.
Wisconsin dropped just on spot from No. 16 to No. 17 after losing to aforementioned North Carolina last week in Maui. The Badgers, 5-2, match up with No. 22 Syracuse on Tuesday night in Madison before hosting Oklahoma on Saturday.
Michigan State fell out of the top 25 after losing for the third time this season, with all three coming against highly ranked opponents. Arizona, Kentucky and Baylor, the three teams who have beaten Michigan State, are all currently ranked in the top 16. And things don't get any easier for the 4-3 Spartans, who take on fifth-ranked Duke on Tuesday night in Durham.
Big Ten
Michigan's stay in the top 25 was brief, knocked out after suffering its first loss of the season with a horrendous shooting performance against South Carolina, now the No. 20 team in the country. The Wolverines are 5-1 and play host to Virginia Tech on Wednesday night with non-conference games still to come against Texas and UCLA, the latter ranked 11th in the latest poll.
Maryland is on the cusp of the top 25, the de facto No. 26 team in the country with the most votes of any unranked team. Also in this week's "others receiving votes" category: Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota and Rutgers.
