Gophers move up to No. 14 in latest AP Poll

Nov 23, 2012; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Joe Coleman (11) grabs a rebound as Memphis Tigers forward Adonis Thomas (4) defends during the 2012 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are moving up the charts, voted in as No. 14 this week, after ranking No. 21 last week.

Tubby Smith and the Gophers were undefeated this past week, playing two games against opponents from Florida, including the Florida State Seminoles and the University of North Florida Osprey.

Before Minnesota found a spot on the AP Top 25, the Gophers received the most votes for a non-ranked team, essentially placing them that week at No. 26.

The assent into the top 15 follows last season where the Gophers started off 12-1 before entering the Big Ten Conference schedule, finishing a disappointing 6-12.  But last year’s squad was also afflicted by key injuries, including a season-ending injury to star power forward Trevor Mbakwe early in the season.

In other national rankings, the Gophers also placed in the top 25: the Maroon and Gold placed No. 21 in the USA Today coaches poll for the first time this season and are No. 11 in RPI.

Other Big Ten teams that placed in the AP Top 25 are Indiana (1), Michigan (3), Ohio State (7), Illinois (13) and Michigan State (19)

The Gophers play South Dakota State at Williams Arena Tuesday night.