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Indiana near-consensus No. 1 in the newest polls

Indiana v Michigan State

EAST LANSING, MI - February 19: Jordan Hulls #1, Cody Zeller #40, Victor Oladipo #4, Christian Watford #2 and Kevin Ferrell #11 of the Indiana Hoosiers prepare to take the court against the Michigan State Spartans at the Jack T. Breslin Student Events Center on February 19, 2013 in East Lansing, Michigan. Indiana won the game 72-68. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Getty Images

For the fourth straight week, Indiana claims the No. 1 rankings in the AP poll, and this time there was little debate about whether or not they earned it.

The Hoosiers had 64 of the 65 first-place votes in the latest AP poll. Gonzaga got the other first place vote and sits at No. 2 in the latest poll. In the USA Today Coaches poll, Indiana received 28 of the 31 first place votes, with Gonzaga receiving the other three. That No. 2 ranking is the highest in the history of the Bulldog program.

(CLICK HERE to see both polls in their entirety)

The only real issue I have with either poll is that Michigan State has dropped so far.

I’ll never understand why voters feel that losing games on the road is such a negative. The road is not an easy place to get a win in league play, particularly in the Big Ten. Michigan State lost at No. 15 Ohio State, which came on the heels of a loss to the No. 1 team in the country, Indiana. Both were games that were within a single possession in the final minutes. I understand that the issues that Keith Appling has had can be a concern, but he’s been inconsistent all season long. It’s part of who Michigan State is.

Another interesting ranking this week: New Mexico. They went into Moby Arena and ended Colorado State’s 27-game winning streak in that building -- which was the third-longest in the country at that time -- and only managed to creep up a couple of spots to 14th.

Ah, basketball polls.

It’s great that polls don’t have any influence on the outcomes in our sport, isn’t it?

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.