Kansas remained atop the first Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll of the regular season after winning a matchup of basketball bluebloods, while Gonzaga and Auburn cracked the top five after impressive opening-week wins and St. John’s led by Rick Pitino joined the rankings.
The Jayhawks received 44 of 62 first-place votes after a home win against North Carolina, a game that saw Kansas blow a 20-point lead but hold on for a 92-89 win. That kept them ahead of Alabama and two-time reigning national champion UConn in an unchanged 1-2-3 lineup in the poll, with the Crimson Tide getting six first-place votes and the Huskies getting seven.
RANK TEAM RECORD PREVIOUS
1 Kansas 2-0 1
2 Alabama 2-0 2
3 UConn 2-0 3
4 Gonzaga 2-0 6
5 Auburn 2-0 11
6 Duke 2-0 7
7 Iowa State 1-0 5
8 Houston 1-1 4
9 Arizona 2-0 10
10 North Carolina 1-1 9
11 Tennessee 2-0 12
12 Baylor 1-1 8
13 Purdue 2-0 14
14 Creighton 2-0 15
15 Marquette 2-0 18
16 Indiana 2-0 17
17 Cincinnati 2-0 20
18 Arkansas 1-1 16
19 Kentucky 2-0 23
20 Florida 2-0 21
21 Ohio State 1-0 N/A
22 St. John’s 2-0 N/A
23 Texas A&M 1-1 13
24 Rutgers 1-0 25
25 Ole Miss 2-0 24