Connecticut, the current national champion, has regained the top spot in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll. This happened right after they were named the top overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies moved up to the number one spot in Monday’s poll, switching places with Houston following the Cougars’ significant loss in the Big 12 Tournament title game to Iowa State. UConn received 61 out of 62 first-place votes to reclaim the top position for the first time since a six-week period in January and February.
UConn (31-3) has only suffered one loss since December 20 and recently secured their first Big East Tournament title since 2011. Following that, they were awarded the number one regional seed in the NCAAs for the first time since their Final Four run in 2009 and the sixth time overall.
The Huskies, who are leading the East Region bracket, are aiming to become the first repeat champion in college basketball since Florida in 2006 and 2007.
“We have a lot of NBA players — we have NBA-level talent that is willing to screen, share, and play for each other on offense,” stated coach Dan Hurley after a victory against St. John’s in the Big East semifinals. “And it’s a unique group of players that have NBA ability, but are humble and focused on the team.”
THE TOP TIER
Even after their tournament setback, Houston, the Big 12 regular-season champion, still received a first-place vote. Purdue remained at number 3 after losing to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Iowa State climbed three positions to reach number 4, marking the program’s highest ranking since spending a week at number 4 in December 2015. The Cyclones were not in the rankings this season until January 15.
North Carolina holds the number 5 spot. The Tar Heels secured the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title but lost in the ACC Tournament final to North Carolina State.
Among this group, the Cougars (South), Boilermakers (Midwest), and Tar Heels (West) received top NCAA regional seeds.
Tennessee, Auburn, Marquette, Arizona, and Illinois complete the top 10, with the Tigers winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament, and the Illini claiming the Big Ten title with a scoring spree from Terrence Shannon Jr.
RISING AND FALLING
Saint Mary’s made the biggest leap this week, moving up six places to number 15 after defeating Gonzaga for the title in the West Coast Conference Tournament. Auburn followed closely by rising five spots to number 7, creating a significant difference from the NCAA selection committee which placed the Tigers as a No. 4 regional seed in UConn’s East bracket.
More than half of the teams in the poll (13) dropped in the rankings following the chaos from the league tournaments. Arizona, number 11 Creighton, number 12 Kentucky, and number 25 Washington State all had the biggest declines, falling three spots each.
IN AND OUT
Wisconsin at number 23 and San Diego State at number 24 are the new additions to the poll, although both have been ranked in multiple weeks this season. Nevada (number 23) and Dayton (number 24) fell out to make room for the Badgers and Aztecs.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Big 12 had the highest number of six ranked teams, including number 17 Kansas, number 21 BYU, and number 22 Texas Tech. The SEC followed with five ranked teams, including number 16 South Carolina.
The Big East and Big Ten both had three teams in the top rankings, while the ACC, Pac-12, Mountain West, and West Coast conferences each had two teams.
ONE MORE TO GO
For the first time, The Associated Press will publish a Top 25 ranking after the national championship game. It will come out on April 9, the day after the title game in Glendale, Arizona.
