Current:Home > ContactUConn hits No. 1 in AP Top 25 after upset-filled week. Gonzaga falls out for first time since 2016 -AssetVision
UConn hits No. 1 in AP Top 25 after upset-filled week. Gonzaga falls out for first time since 2016
View
Date:2025-04-12 15:49:26
Connecticut has followed last year’s run to the NCAA championship with its first No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll in nearly 15 years, while Gonzaga has fallen out of the AP Top 25 for the first time in eight years.
The Huskies moved to the top of the latest poll after a tumultuous and upset-filled week across the sport, which included five new teams entering the rankings Monday. UConn claimed 39 of 63 first-place votes to climb three spots and replace Purdue at the top after the Boilermakers’ loss at Nebraska dropped them to No. 2.
This marks the first time UConn has hit No. 1 in the AP Top 25 since spending four weeks there in the second half of the 2008-09 season, which ended with the Huskies reaching the Final Four.
“Some people don’t want the target,” coach Dan Hurley said Sunday about the potential of reaching No. 1. “I think we embrace the target at UConn.”
Purdue claimed 20 first-place votes, followed by Kansas — the poll’s only team to stay in place from last week — holding three first-place votes despite a loss at UCF.
There was also North Carolina’s three-spot jump to No. 4 after beating rival North Carolina State for its third Atlantic Coast Conference road win in as many tries and blowing out Syracuse at home. UNC even picked up a first-place vote.
ZAGS’ FALL
Gonzaga fell out from No. 23 after a loss at Santa Clara, marking the first time Mark Few’s club has been unranked since the final two months of the 2015-16 season.
That ended a stretch of 143 consecutive weeks in the poll, with 39 of those coming at No. 1 — notably with that wire-to-wire run in the 2020-21 season that ended with Gonzaga suffering its only loss in the NCAA title game to Baylor.
CHAOTIC
The past week turned into a trap-filled slate for the AP Top 25 teams. Eight of the top 10 teams lost at least once, notably with No. 5 Houston losing two games by a combined five points for its first setbacks of the year.
But with 15 ranked teams losing last week, that insulated some teams from falling as much, with everyone around them also stumbling. That ultimately meant the Cougars dropped just three spots to No. 5, while Purdue, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 8 Kentucky fell just one or two spots after their own losses to unranked teams.
THE TOP TIER
Duke rose four spots to No. 7 to return to the top 10 after starting the year at No. 2, followed by the Wildcats, No. 9 Baylor and No. 10 Memphis.
RISING AND SLIDING
Ten teams moved up in this week’s poll, with the Bears’ jump of five spots marking the biggest of the week. No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 16 Utah State and No. 18 Creighton joined the Blue Devils with a four-spot jump.
Oklahoma and Marquette had the week’s biggest tumbles, each falling six spots. The 15th-ranked Sooners fell after road losses to TCU and Kansas, while the 17th-ranked Golden Eagles lost at home to Butler.
No. 12 Arizona and No. 14 Illinois each fell four spots, while a total of nine teams slid from last week’s poll.
WELCOME AND SO LONG
No. 19 TCU made the biggest debut to lead the week’s five newcomers to the poll after wins against Oklahoma and Houston.
No. 21 Dayton, No. 22 Mississippi, No. 24 Iowa State and No. 25 Texas Tech were the other new additions, with all but the Rebels making their first appearance for this season.
Colorado State (No. 17), San Diego State (No. 19), Clemson (No. 21) and Texas (No. 25) joined the Zags in falling out of the poll.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Big 12 represented almost a third of this Top 25, with a national-best eight teams.
The Southeastern Conference was next with four teams, followed by the Big Ten and Big East with three, the Atlantic Coast and American Athletic conferences with two, and one each for the Pac-12, Atlantic-10 and Mountain West.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
veryGood! (12423)
Related
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Should I buy stocks with the S&P 500 at an all-time high? History has a clear answer.
- Oilers' Leon Draisaitl becomes highest-paid NHL player with $112 million deal
- US Open: Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will meet in an all-American semifinal in New York
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Kentucky high school student, 15, dead after she was hit by school bus, coroner says
- Police say 11-year-old used 2 guns to kill former Louisiana mayor and his daughter
- Variety of hunting supplies to be eligible during Louisiana’s Second Amendment sales tax holiday
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Mega Millions winning numbers for September 3 drawing: Did anyone win $681 million jackpot?
Ranking
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Florida doctor found liable for botching baby's circumcision tied to 6 patient deaths
- It's Beyoncé's birthday: 43 top moments from her busy year
- Chicago man charged in fatal shooting of 4 sleeping on train near Forest Park: police
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- Family of deceased Alabama man claims surgeon removed liver, not spleen, before his death
- 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' review: Michael Keaton's moldy ghost lacks the same bite
- Israelis protest as Netanyahu pushes back over Gaza hostage deal pressure | The Excerpt
Recommendation
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Many think pink Himalayan salt is the 'healthiest' salt. Are the benefits real?
Ex-police officer who joined Capitol riot receives a reduced prison sentence
Dancing With the Stars Reveals Season 33 Cast: Anna Delvey, Jenn Tran, and More
Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
New Northwestern AD Jackson aims to help school navigate evolving landscape, heal wounds
Man plows into outside patio of Minnesota restaurant, killing 2 and injuring 4 others
Michigan man wins long shot appeal over burglary linked to his DNA on a bottle