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College Basketball Rankings: TCU And SMU Look To Improve On Last Year's Campaign

The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll has been released as TCU and SMU are nowhere near the rankings list as of yet.

For TCU Horned Frogs and SMU Mustangs, their goals for the 2011-12 college basketball campaign is a simple one. Be better than the year before.

Conference realignment has propelled TCU into a conference that matters (the Big 12) while not having to receive thorough beat downs in the Big East. TCU, who hasn't been known for much on the basketball side since the days of Kurt Thomas and Lee Nailon, will at least be competitive in the Big 12. In the Big East? They might not win a conference game. Hank Thorns and Garlon Green will continue to lead the way for the Horned Frogs.

For SMU, the prospect of playing in a conference as wide open as Conference USA's means optimism is always in the air. Sure, Memphis is the king until the talent runs dry in the Tigers recruiting circles, but the Mustangs have invested the time and energy to get better and players like Robert Nyakundi and London Giles are providing a spark.

Here is the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll for Week 3, maybe we'll get to see TCU and SMU here one day.

ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll:
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 North Carolina (30) 3-0 774
2 Kentucky (1) 4-0 732
3 Ohio State 3-0 708
4 Connecticut 4-0 668
5 Syracuse 4-0 652
6 Duke 4-0 640
7 Louisville 3-0 555
8 Memphis 1-0 497
9 Florida 2-1 480
10 Baylor 3-0 443
11 Wisconsin 3-0 438
12 Xavier 3-0 394
13 Alabama 5-0 379
14 Kansas 1-1 327
15 Michigan 3-0 288
16 Pittsburgh 2-1 252
17 Marquette 4-0 241
18 California 3-0 216
19 Gonzaga 3-0 208
20 Florida State 4-0 189
21 Missouri 3-0 181
22 Vanderbilt 3-1 179
23 Arizona 4-1 134
24 Texas A&M 3-1 65
25 Creighton 4-0 62


Others receiving votes: Mississippi State 58, Purdue 48, Villanova 48, Texas 31, UNLV 23, Cincinnati 23, Northwestern 22, Temple 20, Cleveland State 20, Saint Louis 12, Michigan State 12, George Mason 10, Illinois 8, Long Beach State 8, San Diego State 8, Saint Mary's 6, Oklahoma State 6, Washington 3, Virginia 2, Indiana 2, Marshall 1, Harvard 1, Notre Dame 1

Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.