AP Top 25 Poll for Men’s College Basketball is Officially Available

There was a lot of movement up and down the poll, and it will lead to some intriguing matchups this upcoming week.

There was one new entrant to the Top 10, and two more teams entered the Top 25. The same team stayed up at the top of the poll, but there was some movement right behind them. Below we take a look into the newly minted Top 25 poll.

Gonzaga Holds onto the Top Spot in the Poll

Gonzaga continues into Week 17 of the college basketball season as the top vote-getter in the NCAA men’s basketball AP poll. They hold the top spot for a second week in a row, and given their circumstances; they do not look like they will be giving it up anytime soon. Gonzaga has played great basketball this year as they are 23-2 on the year.

They received all 61 first-place votes this week and do not have a challenging schedule to go through the rest of this season. Gonzaga has cemented themselves as one of the very best mid-major programs in the country, and they are proving it this season.

They also recently clinched their 10th straight WCC regular-season title. Gonzaga looks to be headed toward another top seed in the NCAA tournament.

How did the Rest of the Top 10 Look?

With Gonzaga staying at the top, there was a surprisingly high number of teams that moved within the top 10. In fact, throughout the entire Top 25 poll, there were only two teams that stayed in the same spot as last week.

Arizona moved up from #3 to #2, and Auburn fell from #2 to #3. These teams have flipped in a year that they have both played very well in.

Purdue bumped up to #4 from #5 and are only two poll points ahead of Kansas, who sits at #5 currently. The distance between Auburn, Purdue, and Kansas is just 16 points.

Kentucky also dropped in the poll to #6 from #4 even with a big win over the weekend. Duke raised from #9 in the poll to #7, and Villanova also made a substantial rise up to #8 from #10.

Texas Tech is the lone newcomer in the Top 10 as they come in this week at #9 after being ranked #11 last week. Baylor rounds out the Top 10 as they sit at #10 after falling three spots last week.

What Other Notable Moves Were Made This Week?

Providence was the lone team to drop out of the Top 10 as they fell from #8 to #11. UCLA moved up a spot in the rankings to #12 from #13. Wisconsin also moved up from #15 to #13 this week. Illinois dropped from #12 to #15 in the poll this week.

USC and Tennessee flipped spots this week as USC moved to #16 in the poll, and Tennessee dropped to #17 in the poll. Arkansas jumped up from #23 in the rankings all the way to #18 this week. Connecticut jumped up to #21 from #24 this week, and Ohio State fell back from #18 to #22.

Saint Mary’s jumped up to #23, and Iowa is now back in the poll at #25. These are the only two new entrants into the Top 25 this week.

Who is on the Outside?

The following teams received votes and are looking to make their way into the Top 25 quickly: Michigan State 58, Rutgers 35, Wyoming 24, Boise State 22, Davidson 19, San Diego State 14, South Dakota State 13, LSU 13, Marquette 12, Wake Forest 11, Colorado State 10, Belmont 5, Notre Dame 4, SMU 3, Xavier 2, North Texas 2, Creighton 1, Vermont 1, Wagner 1. These teams are the teams who are next in line if a team within the Top 25 drops a game.

Michigan State is just one point behind Iowa to get into the Top 25, and with a good week this upcoming week, they could firmly move back into the Top 25 poll.

Rutgers has been playing some outstanding basketball this year, and they could eventually sneak into the Top 25. Wyoming has also been very consistent as of late, and they could use a very good final few weeks to get themselves into the Top 25.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.