Purdue jumps back to No. 1 in The AP Top 25 men’s poll; Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky into top 10

Purdue’s slide from No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll turned out to be brief.

The Boilermakers headlined Monday’s latest poll for the second time this season after beating former No. 1 Arizona over the weekend. The Wildcats had spent two weeks at No. 1 after Purdue’s loss to Northwestern ended the Boilermakers’ stint at the top after one week.

Purdue received 48 of 62 first-place votes in the latest poll to jump from third with the Arizona win, which marked the program’s first win against a No. 1 team in 23 years. It also marked the latest impressive nonconference win to a resume that already includes ranked teams in Gonzaga, Tennessee and Marquette.

Preseason No. 1 Kansas stayed at No. 2 with six first-place votes, while Houston moved up one spot to No. 3 and had the other eight votes. Arizona fell to fourth.

THE TOP TIER

UConn, Marquette, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky and Baylor rounded out the top 10.

Of that group, the Sooners are making their first appearance inside the top 10 since February 2021. And the Wildcats cracked the top 10 for the first time this season after beating North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic.

RISING AND FALLING

Kentucky’s five-spot rise marked the biggest jump of the week. Oklahoma and Tennessee were next with four spots to push inside the top 10, while No. 13 Illinois rose three spots. In all, 10 teams climbed from last week’s poll.

No. 15 Gonzaga and No. 18 Clemson took the biggest tumbles, with each falling five spots after losses. Baylor, which lost in a blowout to Michigan State, and No. 12 Creighton were next by falling four spots. A total of seven teams slid from last week’s rankings.

STATUS QUO