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 Monday’s latest poll after a tumultuous and upset-filled week across the sport, which included five new teams jumping into the poll. 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.
RANK TEAM RECORD PREVIOUS RANK
1 UConn 15-2 4
2 Purdue 15-2 1
3 Kansas 14-2 3
4 North Carolina 13-3 7
5 Houston 14-2 2
6 Tennessee 12-4 5
7 Duke 13-3 11
8 Kentucky 12-3 6
9 Baylor 14-2 14
10 Memphis 15-2 13
11 Wisconsin 13-3 15
12 Arizona 12-4 8
13 Auburn 14-2 16
14 Illinois 12-4 10
15 Oklahoma 13-3 9
16 Utah State 16-1 20
17 Marquette 11-5 11
18 Creighton 13-4 22
19 TCU 13-3 19
20 BYU 13-3 18
21 Dayton 13-2 NR
22 Ole Miss 15-1 NR
23 Florida Atlantic 13-4 24
24 Iowa State 13-3 NR
25 Texas Tech 14-2 NR
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.