Kansas Returns to Top Five in Men’s College Basketball AP Poll

Kentucky and Indiana, meanwhile, were among the teams that fell.

Purdue maintained its grasp on No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll on Monday.

Another unbeaten is closing the gap, though.

The Boilermakers received 40 of the 60 first-place votes from a national media panel after knocking off Davidson in their only game last week, allowing them to hold the top spot for a second consecutive week. But after then-No. 2 Virginia lost to Houston, Connecticut leaped into second place and scooped up the remaining 20 first-place votes.

It's the highest the Huskies, unranked in the preseason, have been in the AP poll since they were No. 1 on March 2, 2009.

The Cougars’ 69–61 road win over the Cavaliers, along with an earlier win over North Carolina A&T, allowed them to climb two spots to No. 3. Kansas moved up four spots after blowing out then-No. 14 Indiana at Allen Fieldhouse, while Arizona rounded out the top five after knocking off then-No. 6 Tennessee.

Kansas rose four spots this week in the poll :: Jay Biggerstaff/USA TODAY Sports

Virginia dropped to sixth while Texas, which played its first game without suspended coach Chris Beard, remained at No. 7 following a win over Stanford. The Volunteers fell to eighth to begin a run of Southeastern Conference teams with Alabama falling to ninth after a loss to Gonzaga and Arkansas holding onto 10th for the second straight week.

The Bulldogs, who also beat Northern Illinois before their 100–90 road victory over the Crimson Tide, came in at No. 11 while UCLA climbed three spots to No. 13 after arguably the most impressive week of anyone. The Bruins won 87–60 at then-No. 20 Maryland before beating then-No. 13 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden.

Baylor checked in at No. 12, two ahead of Duke, the only top 25 team that did not play last week, while Mississippi State—one of five unbeatens left in men’s Division I basketball—came in at No. 15.

Full men’s top 25 (as of Dec. 19):

1. Purdue
2. UConn
3. Houston
4. Kansas
5. Arizona
6. Virginia
7. Texas
8. Tennessee
9. Alabama
10. Arkansas
11. Gonzaga
12. Baylor
13. UCLA
14. Duke
15. Mississippi State
16. Illinois
17. Wisconsin
18. Indiana
19. Kentucky
20. TCU
21. Virginia Tech
22. Miami
23. Auburn
24. Marquette
25. Arizona State

Others receiving votes: Maryland 78, West Virginia 74, Xavier 71, Charleston 68, New Mexico 64, Memphis 59, North Carolina 36, Ohio State 33, Iowa State 26, Iowa 21, San Diego State 16, Utah State 10, Texas Tech 10, Michigan State 7, USC 7, Kansas State 5, Saint Mary’s 1.