A weekend full of top-25 action across the country ended with three top-10 teams taking losses. The most surprising, yet resounding, perhaps being Arizona's march to Pauley Pavilion where they dismantled UCLA with its star guard Allonzo Trier back in the lineup.
Former No. 7 West Virginia all but ended its chances to steal the Big 12 crown with its back-to-back losses, which could be good news for Kansas.
As a result of the chaotic week that was, the AP Top 25 got a bit of a makeover. Below is the new Top 25 with first place votes through in parentheses and takeaways at the bottom of the post.
AP Top 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Jan. 22, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week's ranking:
| Record | Pts | Previous | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Villanova (35) | 19-1 | 1591 | 1 |
| 2. Kansas (28) | 18-1 | 1572 | 2 |
| 3. Gonzaga (2) | 19-0 | 1471 | 4 |
| 4. Kentucky | 17-2 | 1414 | 5 |
| 5. Baylor | 18-1 | 1379 | 6 |
| 6. Florida State | 18-2 | 1215 | 10 |
| 7. Arizona | 18-2 | 1190 | 14 |
| 8. UCLA | 19-2 | 1177 | 3 |
| 9. North Carolina | 18-3 | 1171 | 9 |
| 10. Oregon | 18-2 | 1035 | 11 |
| 11. Butler | 17-3 | 914 | 13 |
| 12. Virginia | 15-3 | 803 | 16 |
| 13. Louisville | 16-4 | 796 | 12 |
| 14. Notre Dame | 17-3 | 767 | 15 |
| 15. Wisconsin | 16-3 | 746 | 17 |
| 16. Creighton | 18-2 | 731 | 7 |
| 17. Duke | 15-4 | 628 | 18 |
| 18. West Virginia | 15-4 | 569 | 7 |
| 19. Cincinnati | 17-2 | 478 | 20 |
| 20. Purdue | 16-4 | 412 | 21 |
| 21. Saint Mary's | 17-2 | 290 | 23 |
| 22. Maryland | 17-2 | 261 | 25 |
| 23. South Carolina | 15-4 | 171 | 24 |
| 24. Xavier | 14-5 | 146 | 22 |
| 25. Florida | 14-5 | 47 | 19 |
Others receiving votes: Kansas State 41, SMU 33, Northwestern 28, UNC Wilmington 14, Iowa State 12, Virginia Tech 7, Dayton 6, Southern Cal 6, Akron 1, Illinois State 1, Middle Tennessee 1, Utah 1.
Takeaways
1. Oregon not getting enough love for its 16-game winning streak
Headed into the season, many pegged Oregon as the Pac-12 favorite with National Player of the Year candidate Dillon Brooks at the helm.
Then, UCLA became the trendy pick to win the league behind Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf and Bryce Alford.
But after what Arizona did to UCLA this weekend, Sean Miller has his team standing at the top of the league. And ranked ahead of an undefeated Oregon team in Pac-12 play that has won 16-straight -- and knocked off UCLA in Eugene.
The Bruins, who are now 1-2 against ranked opponents, are still two spots ahead of Oregon who beat them in a head-to-head. A case can be made that the Ducks have a legitimate beef being where they are.
2. Kansas' championship mettle will be tested this week
Every time Kansas gets a test, it has passed with flying colors. The Jayhawks have won 18-straight dating back to mid-November, winning all five games decided by 10 points or less since an overtime loss to Indiana to open the season.
But Bill Self's team hasn't faced a gauntlet all season like it will this week. They travel to West Virginia on Tuesday to face West Virginia, then have to turn around and make the trip to Rupp Arena on Saturday to face a Kentucky team that hasn't lost since Dec. 21. Several of our college basketball experts are picking Kansas to win the national championship. So if they can remain unscathed after this week, those picks may be looking a whole lot smarter. But if they lose two straight, it won't be too surprising an outcome, either.
3. No. 1 Villanova has a great shot at winning out
The reigning national champion has only had one hiccup all season -- a road loss to Butler.
Creighton, a team in the conference who was built to give the Wildcats a run, lost its star point guard for the season Mo Watson Jr. this week. That unfortunate event alone could usher Villanova down the path to a Big East title.
Now favored in each of its conference games for the rest of the season, Villanova is almost certainly a lock on paper to be in line for a No. 1 seed in March.
