Week 9: AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll; Purdue still No. 1

Purdue has maintained its position as the No. 1 ranked team in the Associated Press men’s college basketball rankings in Week 9. Charleston, meanwhile, has made its way into the rankings for the first time in 20 years, coming in at number 23.

The Boilermakers (13-0) have held the top spot for four straight weeks, receiving nearly all of the first-place votes from a panel of 61 media members. This week the Big Ten outfit earned 60 of the total votes for 1,524 points.

Houston and Kansas have both moved up a spot to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, but last week’s second-ranked UConn, which collected the remaining vote for first place, has fallen to fourth place after its loss to Xavier, which has jumped from four spots to No. 18 this week. Arizona completes the top five. Read more: No. 22 Xavier upsets No. 2 UConn- highlights and stats

Texas is at No. 6, followed by Alabama, Tennessee, Gonzaga, and UCLA.

Meanwhile, Charleston has made its way into the rankings for the first time in 20 years, at No. 23 –rewarded for the 14-1 start to the season, which is the best since the school joined the NCAA in 1991. The Cougars have won 13 straight games, with their only loss coming against the then-number one-ranked North Carolina early in the season.

Xavier saw a four-spot jump within the poll after its win over UConn last week. Virginia and Miami both moved up two spots.

Baylor experienced the most significant drop, falling seven spots after a loss to Iowa State, which returned to the rankings at No. 25, while Arkansas fell four places after losing to LSU.

Notably, Kentucky, which was previously ranked at number 19, is now unranked for the first time in two years following its loss to Missouri. The Tigers are now ranked at No. 20, while Ohio State jumped back into the Top 25 poll at No. 24 after a two-week absence.

AP Top 25 men’s basketball rankings – Week 9