College basketball rankings: Arizona State jumps Duke for No. 3 in the AP Top 25 poll
Oklahoma joins the Top 25 and is No. 17 after taking down Wichita State on the road
A combined six Associated Press Top 25 teams lost Saturday and Sunday, causing a major shakeup in the latest rankings released on Monday.
At the top remain Jay Wright's unbeaten Villanova Wildcats, who have quietly plowed ahead to an 11-0 record this season -- a mark good for best in the country. The Cats won big this week over a talented Temple team on the road to improve their budding résumé, and appear destined to carry their unblemished record into Big East play with a semi-away Friday tilt against Hofstra standing in their way.
Arizona State moved up to No. 3, taking the spot away from Duke.
As far as big movers, there was none bigger than the Oklahoma Sooners. Unranked a week ago, Lon Kruger's team comes in at No. 17 this week after taking down No. 3 Wichita State to grab their biggest road win of the season.
Behind the Sooners' surge has been the emergence of true freshman phenom Trae Young, who has shot up draft boards with his NCAA-leading 28.8 points per game and strong point guard play in non-league action. The Norman, Oklahoma, product is operating on an entirely different level than everyone else, and is looking not only like the best player in the Big 12, but perhaps the country.
AP Top 25 poll
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' men's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 17, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week's ranking:
|
RANK |
SCHOOL |
RECORD |
POINTS |
PREVIOUS |
|
1 |
Villanova (45) |
11-0 |
1,602 |
1 |
|
2 |
Michigan State (15) |
10-1 |
1,560 |
2 |
|
3 |
Arizona State (5) |
10-0 |
1,429 |
5 |
|
4 |
Duke |
11-1 |
1,390 |
4 |
|
5 |
North Carolina |
10-1 |
1,332 |
7 |
|
6 |
Miami |
9-0 |
1,308 |
6 |
|
7 |
Kentucky |
9-1 |
1,231 |
8 |
|
8 |
Texas A&M |
9-1 |
1,156 |
9 |
|
9 |
Xavier |
10-1 |
1,073 |
10 |
|
10 |
West Virginia |
9-1 |
1,040 |
11 |
|
11 |
Wichita State |
8-2 |
851 |
3 |
|
12 |
Gonzaga |
9-2 |
831 |
12 |
|
13 |
Virginia |
9-1 |
796 |
16 |
|
14 |
Kansas |
8-2 |
791 |
13 |
|
15 |
TCU |
10-0 |
789 |
14 |
|
16 |
Purdue |
11-2 |
706 |
16 |
|
17 |
Oklahoma |
8-1 |
691 |
-- |
|
18 |
Baylor |
9-2 |
396 |
21 |
|
19 |
Arizona |
8-2 |
396 |
23 |
|
20 |
Cincinnati |
9-2 |
314 |
25 |
|
21 |
Texas Tech |
9-1 |
308 |
24 |
|
22 |
Tennessee |
7-2 |
308 |
20 |
|
23 |
Seton Hall |
9-2 |
223 |
15 |
|
24 |
Florida State |
9-1 |
164 |
19 |
|
25 |
Creighton |
8-2 |
144 |
-- |
Others receiving votes: Arkansas 83, Notre Dame 73, Clemson 35, Louisville 28, Texas 21, Nevada 13, Minnesota 9, Oklahoma St. 9, Alabama 5, SMU 5, Auburn 4, Virginia Tech 3, Rhode Island 2, Syracuse 2, Florida 2, Michigan 1, Towson 1.
















