This article was written by Dave Skretta, a writer for the Associated Press who covers basketball.

UConn became the first unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll this season, while Washington State jumped into the rankings Monday at No. 21 to end a 302-week drought stretching back to the 2007-08 season.

The Huskies maintained their top ranking for the sixth week in a row following a dominant victory over DePaul and a notable 81-53 triumph against then-No. 4 Marquette on the weekend. They received all 62 first-place votes from a group of national media representatives, claiming the 16 first-place votes that Purdue lost after their defeat to Ohio State on Sunday.

UConn currently holds the second-longest streak at the top spot in school history. They held the position for 10 consecutive weeks in the 1998-99 season, under the leadership of coach Jim Calhoun and star players Richard Hamilton and Khalid El-Amin. During this time, they were able to defeat Duke and secure the national championship.

UConn’s coach, Dan Hurley, stated that the team’s focus should be on approaching the next game with a championship mentality. The NCAA Tournament selection committee revealed over the weekend that UConn was ranked as the No. 2 seed overall, just behind Purdue.

UConn currently holds the record for the longest winning streak in men’s Division I basketball with 14 consecutive wins.

Hurley stated that they are focusing on a championship mindset, strategy, and performance. Their goal is to achieve the first back-to-back national championship since Florida in 2006-07. They will not discuss rankings as it is unnecessary.

Houston secured a comfortable victory against Texas during the weekend, propelling them to the second place ahead of Purdue. Meanwhile, Arizona rose one spot to fourth and Tennessee jumped three spots to complete the top five.

Last week, Iowa State extended its winning streak to four games in the competitive Big 12 conference with victories over Cincinnati and Texas Tech. As a result, the Cyclones climbed four places to claim the No. 6 spot. This is the team’s highest ranking since December 14, 2015.

After losing to the Huskies, Marquette fell to seventh place, dropping three spots. Duke held the eighth spot, while Kansas dropped three places to ninth after a significant loss to Texas Tech and a victory against Oklahoma. North Carolina completed the top 10.

Baylor maintained their 11th ranking, with Illinois, Alabama, Auburn, and Creighton following closely behind. Dayton remained at No. 16, while Kentucky moved up five spots to No. 17. Saint Mary’s secured the next spot after winning their 13th consecutive game, and San Diego State reentered the poll at No. 19. South Carolina dropped nine spots to No. 20 after losing to Auburn and LSU.

On Monday, the Top 25 consisted of four teams that were either new or returning: Washington State ranked at No. 21, followed by Colorado State, Texas Tech, and Florida. BYU dropped six places but still secured the last spot in the rankings.

The team, the Cougars, have been victorious in seven consecutive games and have now reentered the rankings for the first time since they were positioned at No. 21 in the last rankings of the 2007-08 season. During that season, the team made it to the Sweet 16 but ultimately fell to North Carolina, who went on to the Final Four.

Their initial examination as a team with a ranking will be a journey to the fourth-ranked Arizona on Thursday evening.

Washington State’s coach, Kyle Smith, described it as the toughest location to compete in the entire country. He also mentioned that the opposing team will have a strong fan base and we must be prepared for the intensity. The main challenge will be to handle the high energy in the arena. However, it is an honor to face this pressure.

The unpredictability seen in the latter portion of the poll throughout the season persisted this week. The Aztecs, Cougars, Rams, Red Raiders, and Gators all entered the rankings, causing Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida Atlantic, Indiana State, and Oklahoma to drop out.

The Badgers’ performance has plummeted since reaching sixth place in the last week of January, with five losses in their last six games. FAU rose to seventh place in the final week of December, but the team that was a sensation in last year’s NCAA Tournament has now dropped off the rankings entirely.

Kentucky made the biggest jump among teams that were ranked last week, using impressive wins over Ole Miss and then-No. 13 Auburn to climb five spots to No. 17. Iowa State jumped four positions to land at sixth.

There were some big changes for South Carolina this week. They went from not being ranked to being ranked 15th two weeks ago, then moved up four spots to 11th last week, but dropped nine spots to 20th after losing two games.

The SEC and the Big 12 both have six teams in the poll, making them tied for the most number of teams. The Big East has three teams, while the Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC, and Mountain West each have two teams in the Top 25.

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Source: wralsportsfan.com