Purdue is back at No.1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll released Monday, with Alabama following right behind at No.2.
Purdue moved up two spots to retake the No.1 spot after the top two teams in last week’s poll both fell.
Temple shocked No.1 Houston with a 56-55 win on the road over the weekend. The win was Temple’s first over a No.1 team since 2000.
Houston found itself sitting pretty at the head of the Top 25 for the first time since the 80s earlier this season. However, a loss to Alabama dropped it back to No.5. The Cougars had returned to the No.1 spot on January 9 but are now No.3 after the Temple loss.
Purdue (19-1, 8-1 Big Ten) received 39 first-place votes in the poll, while Alabama (17-2, 7-0 SEC) garnered 23 first-place votes for its highest ranking since reaching No.1 in 2002-03.
In all, only two teams kept their same spot from a week ago.
Tennessee rose five spots to check in at No.4, while Kansas State had the biggest jump of the week, moving up eight spots to round out the top five. No.6 Arizona also moved up five spots, matching Tennessee for the second-biggest rise in this week’s poll.
Kansas State’s bump up the rankings comes after it outlasted in-state rival and last week’s No.2 team Kansas 83-82 at home. The Wildcats followed that up by besting Texas Tech 68-58 also at home over the weekend.
The No.5 ranking is Kansas State’s highest since making it to No.3 in 2010-11, and they lead six Big 12 teams in the poll.
The defending national champions, Kansas, dropped to No.9 after it suffered back-to-back losses, with TCU coming into the Jayhawks’ Allen Fieldhouse and picking up a dominant 83-60 win on Saturday.
The Horned Frogs moved up three spots to No.11 in this week’s poll after the win.
Texas fell three spots to No.10 after a 78-67 loss on the road to Iowa State last week. The Longhorns bounced back with a 69-61 road win at West Virginia on Saturday.
Though it picked up the top-10 win over Texas, Iowa State did not enjoy a move up the rankings as it followed the win with a 61-59 upset loss at Oklahoma State. Iowa State is No.12 for the second consecutive week.
No.17 Baylor moved up four spots after wins over Texas Tech and Oklahoma to give the Big 12 six teams in the Top 25 out of its 10 conference members.
With 60% of its conference ranked, there are some huge matchups in the Big 12 this week. The conference will also compete in the SEC/Big 12 challenge on Saturday, with 10 matchups slated for that day between teams from the two conferences.
The marquee matchups begin Monday night, with No.9 Kansas traveling to Waco to face No.17 Baylor.
No.5 Kansas State will hit the road on Tuesday to take on No.12 Iowa State.
The headliner of Saturday’s SEC/Big 12 challenge is No.10 Texas going on the road to take on No.4 Tennessee.
In other notes from the poll released Monday, Gonzaga had the biggest fall dropping eight spots to No.14 after a surprising 68-67 home loss to Loyola Marymount on Thursday. The loss ended Gonzaga’s 75-game home winning streak.
No.13 Xavier had the second-largest fall, dropping five spots after a 73-72 road loss at the hands of DePaul.
No.22 Saint Mary’s is ranked for the first time this season following wins over Pepperdine and Santa Clara last week. New Mexico also made its way back in the poll at No.25 after beating San Jose State and pulling out a win over Boise State in overtime.
The two new teams in the poll are replacing Rutgers, which fell out from No.23 after a 13-point road loss to Michigan State, and Arkansas, which dropped out from No.25 following a 79-76 road loss to Missouri.
Full AP Top 25 (First-Place Votes):
- Purdue (39) 19-1
- Alabama (23) 17-2
- Houston 18-2
- Tennessee 16-3
- Kansas State 17-2
- Arizona 17-3
- Virginia 15-3
- UCLA 17-3
- Kansas 16-3
- Texas 16-3
- TCU 15-4
- Iowa State 15-4
- Xavier 16-4
- Gonzaga 17-4
- Auburn 16-3
- Marquette 16-5
- Baylor 14-5
- Charleston 21-1
- UConn 16-5
- Miami (FL) 15-4
- Florida Atlantic 19-1
- Saint Mary’s 18-4
- Providence 15-5
- Clemson 16-4
- New Mexico 18-2
Others receiving votes: Duke 102, Indiana 61, San Diego State 57, Rutgers 31, Kent State 24, North Carolina 12, Michigan State 10, Creighton 9, Illinois 9, Arkansas 9, Missouri 8, Wisconsin 6, North Carolina State 4, Kentucky 3, VCU 2, Boise State 2, Memphis 1, Wake Forest 1, Oral Roberts 1
