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Starting a few weeks ago, the AP Top 25 was missing both Duke and North Carolina for the first time since the AP Poll on December 18, 1961.
This factoid is a little misleading though, because from the 1959-60 season through the 1968-69 season, the AP reduced the number of ranked teams from 20 to 10. That lasted 10 seasons. The record of how many ballot points each team received was not kept until the beginning of the 1966-67 season.
So, for that week in December 1961, Duke and North Carolina were not in the official Top 10 and we don't know exactly how many votes they received. We do know, however, that Duke was ranked #7 in the 1961-62 preseason poll (the only ballot prior to December 18); that, after losing to Duquesnes on December 15, Duke fell out of that poll; and/but Duke (along with Kentucky) was right back into the Top 10 the following week for the December 25, 1961 poll.
Thus, we can fairly easily surmise that Duke -- as well as Kentucky -- would easily have been ranked had the poll been a Top 20, rather than a Top 10.
But, let's go with the poll the way it was. Were there any blue bloods in that December 18, 1961 AP Poll? Turns out, the closest thing is Ohio State at No. 1; but Ohio State is ranked today; so that doesn't quite work. What about the Cincinatti Bearcats? By no means a traditional Blue Blood, and unranked since 2019, the Bearcats do have a storied history and have been ranked in 45 of the 86 seasons with AP poll rankings.
So, let's move backwards from that December 18, 1961 poll, when was the last time prior to that that neither Duke nor North Carolina was ranked? The answer is February 23, 1960. But guess who was No. 1 that week? Yep, those Cinci Bearcats with Oscar Robertson.
February 23, 1960 was the only poll from that season where neither Duke nor North Carolina was ranked. So, where do we go backwards from there? Going further back in time, we have to go all the way to the first poll of the 1955-56 season to find one without Duke or North Carolina; and, it just so happens that Cinci isn't ranked in that poll either. But you know who was? Kentucky. At No. 2. So, we can now say that until a few weeks ago, every poll since the preseason poll in 1955 had either Duke or North Carolina or Cincinatti or Kentucky. But what about before that?
Well, Kentucky was No. 1 or No. 2 in the prior two seasons, which takes us to the 1952-53 season. Neither Duke, nor UNC, nor Cinci, nor UK had big seasons in 1952-53. But guess who did? That old Blue Blood Indiana Hoosiers, which were ranked in every poll that season.
And before that? Well, there were only four seasons of the AP Poll prior to 1952-53, and Kentucky was ranked in every single week.
SO .....
Prior to a few weeks ago, in the entire history of the AP Poll, there had NEVER been a poll which did not have either Duke or UNC or Kentucky or Cincinnati or Indiana.
This factoid is a little misleading though, because from the 1959-60 season through the 1968-69 season, the AP reduced the number of ranked teams from 20 to 10. That lasted 10 seasons. The record of how many ballot points each team received was not kept until the beginning of the 1966-67 season.
So, for that week in December 1961, Duke and North Carolina were not in the official Top 10 and we don't know exactly how many votes they received. We do know, however, that Duke was ranked #7 in the 1961-62 preseason poll (the only ballot prior to December 18); that, after losing to Duquesnes on December 15, Duke fell out of that poll; and/but Duke (along with Kentucky) was right back into the Top 10 the following week for the December 25, 1961 poll.
Thus, we can fairly easily surmise that Duke -- as well as Kentucky -- would easily have been ranked had the poll been a Top 20, rather than a Top 10.
But, let's go with the poll the way it was. Were there any blue bloods in that December 18, 1961 AP Poll? Turns out, the closest thing is Ohio State at No. 1; but Ohio State is ranked today; so that doesn't quite work. What about the Cincinatti Bearcats? By no means a traditional Blue Blood, and unranked since 2019, the Bearcats do have a storied history and have been ranked in 45 of the 86 seasons with AP poll rankings.
So, let's move backwards from that December 18, 1961 poll, when was the last time prior to that that neither Duke nor North Carolina was ranked? The answer is February 23, 1960. But guess who was No. 1 that week? Yep, those Cinci Bearcats with Oscar Robertson.
February 23, 1960 was the only poll from that season where neither Duke nor North Carolina was ranked. So, where do we go backwards from there? Going further back in time, we have to go all the way to the first poll of the 1955-56 season to find one without Duke or North Carolina; and, it just so happens that Cinci isn't ranked in that poll either. But you know who was? Kentucky. At No. 2. So, we can now say that until a few weeks ago, every poll since the preseason poll in 1955 had either Duke or North Carolina or Cincinatti or Kentucky. But what about before that?
Well, Kentucky was No. 1 or No. 2 in the prior two seasons, which takes us to the 1952-53 season. Neither Duke, nor UNC, nor Cinci, nor UK had big seasons in 1952-53. But guess who did? That old Blue Blood Indiana Hoosiers, which were ranked in every poll that season.
And before that? Well, there were only four seasons of the AP Poll prior to 1952-53, and Kentucky was ranked in every single week.
SO .....
Prior to a few weeks ago, in the entire history of the AP Poll, there had NEVER been a poll which did not have either Duke or UNC or Kentucky or Cincinnati or Indiana.
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