By JIM O’CONNELL
Villanova’s impressive win at No. 10 Creighton kept the Wildcats at No. 1 for a fifth straight week, while Baylor made the jump from fourth to second.
The only new member of The Associated Press Top 25 is Virginia Tech, which beat Duke 89-75. The Hokies (12-1) jump in at No. 21, their first ranking since the opening week of the 2010-11 season.
Villanova (14-0) received 59 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel Monday to easily outdistance the Bears (13-0), who got the other six votes for No. 1.
Kansas held third while UCLA, which lost to Oregon, fell from second to fourth. Gonzaga and Kentucky both moved up two spots to fifth and sixth. Gonzaga (14-0), Villanova and Baylor are the lone unbeaten teams in Division I.
West Virginia jumped from 11th to seventh while Duke and Louisville both dropped three spots to eighth and ninth, and Creighton held on at No. 10.
Virginia, which lost to Florida State after beating Louisville, moved up from 12th to No. 11 and was followed by Florida State, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Oregon, Xavier, Arizona, Butler, Saint Mary’s and Purdue. The last ranked teams were Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Florida, while Southern Cal and Indiana tied for 25th.
Villanova’s run at No. 1 is the longest since Kentucky was on top of the poll for the entire 2014-15 season.
AP POLL
1-Villanova (14-0)
2. Baylor (13-0)
3. Kansas (12-1)
4. UCLA (14-1)
5. Gonzaga (14-0)
6. Kentucky (11-2)
7. West Virginia (12-1)
8. Duke (12-2)
9. Louisville (12-2)
10. Creighton (13-1)
11. Virginia (11-2)
12. Florida State (12-1)
13. Wisconsin (12-2)
14. North Carolina (12-3)
15. Oregon (13-2)
16. Xavier (12-2)
17. Arizona (13-2)
18. Butler (12-2)
19. Saint Mary’s (12-1)
20. Purdue (12-3)
21. Virginia Tech (12-1)
22. Cincinnati (12-2)
23. Notre Dame (12-2)
24. Florida (10-3)
25. Southern California (14-1)
