There’s a new, but familiar No. 1 in Monday’s Associated Press Top 25 rankings which features six teams from the Big 12, four teams from the ACC, and three teams each from the Big Ten, Big East, and Southeastern Conferences.
Purdue (10-1) returns to the top spot after beating Arizona, 92-84, on Saturday. The Wildcats (8-1,) who previously took over the top spot, dropped to No. 4.
Purdue was followed by No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Houston, with UConn remaining at No. 5 despite posting a 10-1 non-conference mark that included wins over Indiana, Texas, North Carolina and Gonzaga — all on neutral or road courts — and a 4-point loss to Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kentucky (8-2) was the biggest riser, moving up 5 spots to No. 9. The Wildcats defeated North Carolina 87-83 which resulted in the Tar Heels (7-3) dropping from No. 9 to No. 11.
Illinois (8-2) moved up 3 spots to No. 13 which is the highest they have been ranked since late in the 2021-22 season.
Clemson (9-1) and Gonzaga (8-3) were the biggest fallers; they both fell 5 spots. The Bulldogs fell from No. 10 to No. 15 following a 76-63 loss to UConn (No. 5). The Tigers dropped from No. 13 to No. 18 after a 79-77 loss to Memphis (No. 23).
Creighton (9-2) and Baylor (9-1) each fell four spots. The Blue Jays went from No. 8 to No. 12 after a 1-1 week which included a win over Alabama (6-4), but a loss to UNLV (4-5). The Bears dropped from No. 6 to No. 10 following their first loss of the season which came in a 88-64 blowout against Michigan State (5-5).
Miami (8-2) fell out of the top 25 and Ole Miss (10-0) landed themselves a spot in the top 25 at No. 25 after beating California to maintain their unbeaten record.
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