The 1953–54 NCAA men's basketball rankings was made up of two human polls, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, as well as the Dunkel System math ratings.
Legend Increase in ranking Decrease in ranking New to rankings from previous week Italics Number of first place votes (#–#) Win–loss record т Tied with team above or below also with this symbol
AP Poll
UP Poll All UP polls for this season included 20 teams, with the exception of the final poll (released on March 9, 1954) which included only 10 teams.
Dunkel Ratings
The Dunkel System college basketball ratings were released throughout the season. The final post-tournament ratings were released in April 1954, with undefeated Kentucky, who did not compete in a post-season tournament, ahead of NIT winner Holy Cross, NIT runner-up Duquesne, and NCAA tournament winner La Salle.
References