Purdue and UConn remained the top two teams in the Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll released Monday, which saw minimal movement near the top.
Purdue earned 40 of 60 first-place votes in Monday’s latest poll, while UConn earned the other 20 to sit at No.2 to lead an unchanged top five from last week.
No.3 Houston, No.4 Kansas, and No.5 Arizona all held their positions for a second straight week.
The first change in this week’s poll is Texas moving up one spot to No.6, occupying the spot Virginia held last week before they fell to No.14 Miami.
Last week, Texas picked up its third straight win since the suspension of head coach Chris Beard, dominating Louisiana 100-72. The Longhorns play Texas A&M-Commerce on Tuesday before opening Big 12 conference play on New Year’s Eve at Oklahoma.
Three straight Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools follow Texas in Tennessee, Alabama, and Arkansas.
Gonzaga — the preseason No.2 — caps the top 10 after sliding to as low as No.18 earlier this month.
Seven teams kept their place from last week’s poll, with No.12 Baylor and No.19 Kentucky joining the unchanged top five.
Baylor nabbed a 58-48 win over Northwestern State in its lone game last week. The Bears will take on Nicholls State on Wednesday before beginning Big 12 play on New Year’s Eve at Iowa State.
The biggest riser in this week’s poll is Miami, which climbed eight spots to No.14 after its 66-64 win over then-No.6 Virginia. Subsequently, Virginia took the biggest fall in the rankings, dropping seven places to No.13.
Reentering the poll is North Carolina — the preseason No.1 — who is now at No.25 after a rocky start to the season.
The Tar Heels returned four starters from last year’s unexpected run to the NCAA championship game. But they became only the sixth team to go from preseason No.1 to unranked since at least the 1961-62 season after four straight losses in late November.
UNC has won four straight since, including the last two against Big Ten teams — Ohio State on December 17 and Michigan last week — to bounce back.
Three teams are making their debut in the AP Top 25 this season. Xavier and New Mexico are tied at No.22, while No.24 West Virginia joined them as new additions to the poll.
For New Mexico, it marks the first time they have cracked the AP Top 25 since March 2014.
West Virginia’s inclusion gives the Big 12 five-ranked teams. The Mountaineers have won four straight since falling to No.22 Xavier on December 3, with their only other loss coming on November 24 to top-ranked Purdue.
West Virginia opens Big 12 play on New Year’s Eve at Kansas State.
TCU is the other ranked Big 12 team, checking in at No.18 this week. The Horned Frogs picked up a tough 75-71 road win over Utah last week.
TCU plays Central Arkansas on Wednesday before beginning its Big 12 conference schedule with a New Year’s Eve home game against Texas Tech.
The Big 12’s five ranked teams are second-most for one conference, with the SEC leading all leagues with six ranked teams.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is third with four, the Big Ten has three ranked teams, and the Pac-12 and Big East each have two. The American Athletic, West Coast, and Mountain West conferences each have one.
Full AP Top 25 (First-Place Votes):
1. Purdue (40) 12-0
2. UConn (20) 13-0
3. Houston 12-1
4. Kansas 11-1
5. Arizona 12-1
6. Texas 10-1
7. Tennessee 10-2
8. Alabama 10-2
9. Arkansas 11-1
10. Gonzaga 10-3
11. UCLA 11-2
12. Baylor 9-2
13. Virginia 8-2
14. Miami (FL) 12-1
15. Wisconsin 9-2
16. Indiana 10-3
17. Duke 10-3
18. TCU 10-1
19. Kentucky 8-3
20. Auburn 10-2
21. Mississippi State 11-1
T22. New Mexico 12-0
T22. Xavier 10-3
24. West Virginia 10-2
25. North Carolina 9-4
Others receiving votes: Charleston 102, Maryland 87, Memphis 74, Illinois 65, Ohio State 59, Virginia Tech 57, Missouri 57, San Diego State 39, Iowa State 19, Marquette 12, Texas Tech 10, Michigan State 7, Providence 6, Kansas State 5, USC 4, San Francisco 1.
