Baylor took advantage of a major upset to reach No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll released on Monday, becoming the fourth different team to occupy the top spot in four weeks.
Baylor (9-0) earned wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff and No. 6 Villanova this past week but it was Purdue’s stunning loss to Rutgers at the buzzer that put the Bears atop the poll. Baylor received all 61 first-place votes.
The defending champion Bears never made it to No. 1 during the 2020-21 regular season.
Duke (7-1) moved up a spot to No. 2 while Purdue (9-1) fell to No. 3.
UCLA (9-1) and Gonzaga (8-2) maintained their spots to round out the top 5.
Alabama (8-1) moved up three spots to No. 6 after a thrilling win over Houston on Saturday. Kansas (8-1), Arizona (9-0), Villanova (7-3) and Southern California (10-0) round out the top 10. The Trojans moved up six spots.
The week’s biggest gainers are Michigan State (9-2) and Seton Hall (9-1), who both jumped seven spots. The Spartans are No. 12 while the Pirates are No. 16.
Entering the Top 25 were Xavier (No. 22), Colorado State (No. 23) and Texas Tech (No. 25). Colorado State is undefeated at 10-0.
Dropping out of the Top 25 were Wisconsin, BYU and Florida.
The SEC leads this week’s Top 25 with six teams while the Big 12 placed five.
–Field Level Media
