Indiana basketball ascends to No. 16 in the Week 8 AP Top 25 after back-to-back wins against Elon and Kennesaw State before the end of 2022.
The Hoosiers have now been ranked in the top 25 of the AP polls in each of the first eight weeks of the 2022-23 season so far, which is the most consecutive such weeks to begin a season for Indiana basketball since 2016-17 (nine straight weeks in the AP Top 25).
Indiana was one of two Big Ten teams to actually rise in the rankings from Week 7 to Week 8, as the Hoosiers went from No. 18 to No. 16 and Wisconsin went from No. 17 to No. 15. Aside from Purdue, ranked at No. 1, no other Big Ten team currently sits in the AP Top 25 after No. 16 Illinois was pounded by Missouri last week.
It is somewhat surprising that the Boilermakers have been able to hold onto their No. 1 spot, after winning two of their last three games by single digits against Nebraska and Davidson, while No. 2 UConn has beaten every opponent they’ve played this season by double digits, including a 15-point win over now-ranked No. 8 Alabama.
As of right now, the Hoosiers are 2-2 against teams that currently stand in the AP Top 25, with losses against No. 4 Kansas and No. 5 Arizona, and wins against No. 22 Xavier and No. 25 North Carolina.
While the Hoosiers had a very disappointing December, the ability to rebound from bad losses and finish out the first two months of the season at 10-3 overall and 2-2 against Top 25 opponents makes for some good momentum heading into the heart of the Big Ten schedule.
The next time the Hoosiers face off against a ranked opponent will likely end up being when Indiana plays host in Assembly Hall to Wisconsin on January 14, 2023.