MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – As expected, there is a new No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll.
After suffering a defeat at the weekend, Kansas is replaced by Gonzaga as the latest No. 1 team in AP ranking.
The Bulldogs become this season’s sixth program to hold the top spot in the Top 25.
Kansas lasted only a week at No. 1 before the Jayhawks were clipped at this week’s No. 10 Villanova over the weekend and got demoted.
Gonzaga (13-1) received 54 of the 65 first-place votes from the media panel. The new No. 1 has won five straight since losing to No. 11 Michigan in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas on Nov. 29.
Ohio State, which outlasted then-No. 6 Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday, moved up three places to No. 2 this week and collected nine first-place votes, while Louisville stayed at No. 3.
They are followed by Duke, which remains at No. 4 and Kansas, which fell four spots to No. 5.
At No. 6 is Oregon, followed by Baylor, the still-undefeated Auburn, Memphis and Villanova to complete the Top 10.
Defeating national champion Virginia, which went down at home to South Carolina on Sunday, fell seven spots to No. 16, while Iowa is the only newcomer in this week’s poll at No. 25.
The Hawkeyes (9-3), who enter the Top 25 for the first time this season, replaced last week’s No. 21 Tennessee.
AP Top 25
1 Gonzaga (54 votes)
2 Ohio State (9)
3 Louisville (1)
4 Duke(1)
5 Kansas
6 Oregon
7 Baylor
8 Auburn
9 Memphis
10 Villanova
11 Michigan
12 Butler
13 Maryland
14 Michigan State
15 San Diego State
16 Virginia
17 Florida State
18 Dayton
19 Kentucky
20 Penn State
21 Washington
22 West Virginia
23 Texas Tech
24 Arizona
25 Iowa
