Written by Dave Skretta, a sports journalist for the Associated Press.

On Monday, following their victory against Clemson on Saturday, the Tar Heels rose to No. 7 in the AP Top 25 rankings. In contrast, Clemson fell to No. 21 and Duke climbed three spots to No. 11.

On Monday, Purdue remained in the number one spot on the AP Top 25 rankings after defeating Illinois in a highly anticipated top-10 match. Meanwhile, Houston surpassed Kansas to take second place as the only undefeated team in Division I men’s college basketball.

The Boilermakers defeated the No. 9 Illini 83-78 in their previous game and gained five additional first-place votes, totaling 54 out of 63 votes possible. This keeps them at the top spot for the fourth consecutive week. The Cougars received seven first-place votes and held onto the second spot, while the Jayhawks dropped to third despite receiving two first-place votes due to their close victory over TCU.

The Houston team has achieved a record of 14 wins and 0 losses for the third time in their school’s history. This was accomplished after their impressive victory over West Virginia in their first Big 12 game. The only remaining undefeated team after losses by James Madison and Ole Miss are the Cougars.

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson believes that his team has always had a sense of determination and motivation to prove themselves. He acknowledges that it took some effort to convince their own fans of their talent, especially after enduring a period of poor performance. Some fans may still not recognize their potential, but the team and coaches are confident in their abilities and identity.

The Cougars have been consistently achieving success for some time now. They made it to the Final Four three years ago, the Elite Eight two years ago, and the Sweet 16 last season. They even spent seven weeks at the top of the AP poll.

Each team is unique,” stated Jamal Shead, the guard for the Cougars. “I believe that, similar to other teams, we have a strong bond off the court. This greatly contributes to our ability to hold each other accountable during games and communicate freely with one another. We trust that our teammates won’t take it the wrong way, allowing us to push each other and continue striving for success.”

The University of Connecticut, the current defending champion, maintained their rank at number four. Tennessee held the fifth spot and Kentucky was ranked sixth. North Carolina rose one position to seventh, while Arizona and Oklahoma both climbed two places. Unfortunately, Illinois dropped one spot and now sits at number 10 in the top rankings.

Marquette fell four positions to be tied at number 11 with Duke after their defeat to Seton Hall. Seton Hall had a strong showing last week and almost made it into the rankings with their two victories against ranked opponents, including a win against Providence.

The top two teams, Golden Eagles and Blue Devils, were trailed by Memphis, Baylor, and Wisconsin. Wisconsin saw a significant improvement in their ranking, moving up six places due to their victories over Iowa and Nebraska. Auburn had the most dramatic jump, rising nine spots to No. 16 after defeating Pennsylvania and dominating Arkansas. Following Auburn were Colorado State and BYU, who faced losses against Cincinnati in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

After not being ranked since the first five weeks of the 2019-20 season, Utah State joined the poll at No. 20 and San Diego State returned at No. 19. The Top 25 was completed by Clemson, Creighton, Gonzaga, FAU, and Texas.

Auburn is up to No. 16 on the strength of seven consecutive wins, the second-longest streak in the SEC behind Georgia’s nine-game run. The Tigers are just behind the Badgers, whose only loss since mid-November came at No. 8 Arizona.

The downfall of FAU’s No. 24 team continued as they suffered a defeat against Charlotte. Just two weeks prior, the Owls were ranked seventh but were defeated by Florida Gulf Coast.

San Diego State and Creighton have regained their spots in the rankings. Meanwhile, Utah State makes its debut at No. 20 with an impressive 13-game winning streak, tied with Samford for the second-longest streak in the country, only behind unbeaten Houston.

Three teams took the place of Ole Miss and James Madison, who suffered their first losses, as well as Providence, who had two losses last week.

The Big 12 boasted two of the best three teams and a total of six in the Top 25, which is twice the amount of any other conference. The Mountain West also gained San Diego State and Utah State in addition to Colorado State, putting them on par with the Big Ten, Big East, ACC, and SEC with three teams each.

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Source: wralsportsfan.com