Gonzaga Returns to No. 1 in Men’s AP Poll After Auburn’s Loss

Plus, Auburn and Purdue drop after losses and Kentucky and Arizona rise in the top 25.

Auburn’s run atop the men’s AP college basketball top 25 ends at three weeks, after the Tigers' loss to Arkansas cleared the way for Gonzaga to return to the top of the poll.

The Bulldogs received 13 of 61 first-place votes last week but took home 56 of them this week after improving to 21–2 on the season. Gonzaga beat rival Saint Mary's by 16 on Saturday to move to 10–0 in the WCC, and with just four games left has a great chance at holding on to No. 1 in the poll through the end of the regular season.

James Snook/USA TODAY Sports

After falling in overtime on the road, Auburn dropped just one spot in the poll, while Arizona and Kentucky moved up within the top five, to No. 3 and 4, respectively. For beating Auburn, Arkansas entered the poll at No. 23.

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Providence jumped three spots to appear in the top 10 for the first time this season, reaching 21–2 after a pair of wins last week. It's the program's highest AP ranking since 2016.

New top 25 (as of Feb. 14):

1. Gonzaga
2. Auburn
3. Arizona
4. Kentucky
5. Purdue
6. Kansas
7. Baylor
8. Providence
9. Duke
10. Villanova
11. Texas Tech
12. Illinois
13. UCLA
14. Houston
15. Wisconsin
16. Tennessee
17. USC
18. Ohio State
19. Michigan State
20. Texas
21. Murray State
22. Wyoming
23. Arkansas
24. UConn
25. Alabama

Others receiving votes: Marquette 77, Xavier 51, Colorado State 29, Saint Mary's (Cal) 22, LSU 18, Iowa 17, Notre Dame 17, SMU 14, Rutgers 10, Virginia 4, South Dakota State 3, Toledo 3, Miami 3, Boise St. 3, San Francisco 2, Belmont 2, Vermont 1, Wake Forest 1.

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