The week that was in college basketball gave us plenty of entertainment. From now-former No. 1 ranked Villanova falling at the hands of Butler and ending the nation's longest winning streak, to Purdue flexing its muscles as a potential Big Ten favorite against Wisconsin.
It had a little bit of everything, which, in part, is what gave us a brand new team at the No. 1 spot. Welcome to the top, Baylor!
Below is the latest AP Top 25 poll, with first-place votes in parentheses.
AP Top 25
1. Baylor (55)
2. Kansas (8)
3. Villanova (1)
4. UCLA (1)
5. Gonzaga
6. Kentucky
7. Duke
8. Creighton
10. West Virginia
11. North Carolina
12. Butler
13. Oregon
14. Louisville
15. Xavier
16. Arizona
17. Purdue
18. Wisconsin
19. Virginia
20. Notre Dame
21. Saint Mary's
22. Cincinnati
23. Florida
24. Minnesota
25. Southern California
Others receiving votes: Seton Hall 11, South Carolina 7, Iowa State 7, Indiana 6, Virginia Tech 6, Maryland 5, SMU 5, Clemson 4, UNC-Wilmington 3, VCU 3, Nevada 2, Dayton 2, Wichita State 2
Here are three takeaways from the latest AP poll.
1. This is Baylor's first-ever No. 1 ranking
Scott Drew has taken the Bears to new heights this season, and for the first time in their program's history, his team holds a No. 1 ranking in the AP poll.
The Bears have zero losses, and seven top-55 KenPom wins. Nobody else can lay claim to the latter. They are only one of two teams still unbeaten.
As my colleague Gary Parrish pointed out, the Bears are in a unique position. They are welcomed with a top ranking, and then travel to Morgantown to take on No. 10 West Virginia, where it's more likely than not that they will be underdogs. A warm welcome it is, indeed. There are no nights off in the Big 12.
2. Kentucky will likely continue its climb in the polls
Through three SEC games, Kentucky is 3-0 with an average margin of victory of 31 points. Outside of Florida, there doesn't appear to be any team that can seriously give the Wildcats a run. The offense, behind De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, are third in offensive efficiency according to KenPom, and seventh in defensive efficiency. They are favored in every game for the rest of SEC play and have a serious chance at running the table.
3. Several top-15 teams could compete for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament
The top of the poll is so incredibly loaded, as is the middle. I could see No. 1 Baylor grabbing a top seed in the tournament just as easily as I could see No. 11 North Carolina doing the same -- especially how UNC looked in handling NC State on Sunday.
Bottom line: There isn't a major discrepancy between the No. 5 team and the No. 15 team. Any one of these teams could surge to snatch a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. That makes college basketball so much more fun to watch. There isn't a clear-cut tier 1 level of teams but there's a whole bunch of really, really good ones.
