Monday's latest AP top 25 poll once again has Villanova at the No. 1 spot for the fourth consecutive week. The red-hot Wildcats received 47 of a possible 65 first place votes after another perfect week that saw them win big over Providence and hang on to snag a win over Marquette on the road.
Jay Wright's team will be tested frequently over the next two weeks, but they're gearing up for a four-game home stand starting Thursday, where they have yet to lose this season.
Nipping at the heels of the Wildcats is Virginia. The Cavaliers put together an impressive 2-0 week with a win over Clemson and a statement road win over Duke in Cameron Indoor. UVA garnered 17 first place votes this week and, at 9-0 in ACC play, now has a comfortable 2.5 game lead in the conference standings and a clear path to a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs.
As is the case last week, Purdue and Duke sit at Nos. 3 and 4 while Michigan State rounds out the new-look top 5.
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 Jan. 28, 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 | 20-1 | 1,607 | 1 |
2 | Virginia | 20-1 | 1,572 | 2 |
3 | Purdue | 21-2 | 1,501 | 3 |
4 | Duke | 18-3 | 1,372 | 4 |
5 | Michigan State | 20-3 | 1,347 | 6 |
6 | Xavier | 19-3 | 1,278 | 8 |
7 | Kansas | 17-4 | 1,224 | 5 |
8 | Cincinnati | 19-2 | 1,208 | 9 |
9 | Arizona | 18-4 | 1,103 | 11 |
10 | Texas Tech | 17-4 | 987 | 14 |
11 | Auburn | 19-2 | 882 | 19 |
12 | Oklahoma | 15-5 | 840 | 12 |
13 | Saint Mary's | 21-2 | 753 | 16 |
14 | Gonzaga | 19-4 | 750 | 15 |
15 | West Virginia | 16-5 | 709 | 7 |
16 | Wichita State | 17-4 | 635 | 17 |
17 | Ohio State | 18-5 | 566 | 13 |
18 | Tennessee | 15-5 | 512 | 22 |
19 | North Carolina | 16-6 | 470 | 10 |
20 | Clemson | 17-4 | 414 | 18 |
21 | Kentucky | 16-5 | 344 | -- |
22 | Rhode Island | 17-3 | 327 | 24 |
23 | Florida | 15-6 | 172 | 20 |
24 | Michigan | 17-6 | 103 | 25 |
25 | Arizona State | 16-5 | 100 | 21 |