Kansas Jayhawks move up one spot as Baylor becomes latest No. 1 team in men’s AP Top 25
Defending national champion Baylor has taken over the No. 1 spot, while Kansas has moved from No. 8 to No. 7 in the Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released Monday.
The Bears (9-0), who were ranked second last week, replaced Purdue as the top team in the poll. The Boilermakers (9-1) lost to Rutgers 70-68 last week and fell to No. 3, a slot behind Duke (7-1).
Baylor, the fourth No. 1 team in the last four weeks, was the unanimous pick of 61 voters from a national media panel. The Bears are No. 1 in the poll for the first time since a four-week stretch that ended on Feb. 17, 2020.
UCLA was fourth, followed by Gonzaga, Alabama, KU, Arizona, Villanova, USC, Iowa State, Michigan State, Auburn, Houston, Ohio State, Seton Hall, Texas, Tennessee, LSU, Connecticut, Kentucky, Xavier, Colorado State, Arkansas and Texas Tech.
Others receiving votes were Wisconsin, North Carolina, Providence, Oklahoma, San Francisco, Illinois, West Virginia, Loyola Chicago, Michigan, St. Bonaventure, BYU, Minnesota and Creighton.
“Every coach tells you that the goal is at the end of the year to be No. 1,” Baylor coach Scott Drew told the Associated Press, “but I will tell you that it always means something. It means something to your fans. It means something to your coaches, your players and everybody. It’s a great sign of respect for other people that have come before you, the work they put in.”
Iowa State, which is one of seven undefeated teams in Division I, improved six spots after wins over Iowa and Jacksonville State.
AP men’s Top 25 poll
- Baylor
- Duke
- Purdue
- UCLA
- Gonzaga
- Alabama
- Kansas
- Arizona
- Villanova
- USC
- Iowa State
- Michigan State
- Auburn
- Houston
- Ohio State
- Seton Hall
- Texas
- Tennessee
- LSU
- UConn
- Kentucky
- Xavier
- Colorado State
- Arkansas
- Texas Tech
Others receiving votes: Wisconsin, North Carolina, Providence, Oklahoma, San Francisco, Illinois, West Virginia, Loyola Chicago, Michigan, St. Bonaventure, BYU 4, Minnesota and Creighton.
