AP Poll Top 25 revealed following fifth week of college basketball season

The latest AP Poll top 25 rankings were released following the fifth week of the college basketball regular season.

It’s safe to say, there are some dominant teams through the first third of the season. Some others are fighting for position in the top 10. One thing’s for sure, March Madness could be wild in a few months.

Let’s dive into the latest AP Poll for college basketball, released Monday.

1. Arizona

Arizona ran away from Wisconsin over the weekend and it wasn’t particularly close. The 98-73 win cemented how good the Wildcats are right now.

Pelle Larsson put up 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. Caleb Love added to it with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Now, the Wildcats take on Purdue this Saturday in an NCAA Tournament-feel type of game.

2. Kansas

Kansas improved to 10-1 with a win over Missouri and will take on Indiana this coming weekend. Other than the loss to Marquette last month the Jayhawks have been impressive.

It was pretty evenly distributed against the Tigers. Kansas had KJ Adams and Kevin McCullar put up 17 points each and Hunter Dickinson added 13 points and 16 rebounds.

3. Purdue (+1)

The Boilermakers edged Alabama in a tight game Saturday but kept themselves on the winning end of things. Next up is Arizona in what could be a regional final type of game or even the Final Four.

In the win over the Crimson Tide, Zach Edey was the star. And we mean, the star. He had 35 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Braden Smith added 27 points, five rebounds and eight assists.

4. Houston (-1)

The Cougars are undefeated and are blasting teams at this rate. Most recently, Houston beat up on Jackson State 89-55 to improve to 11-0. The strength of schedule isn’t as good as others though.

Still, this is an impressive basketball team through the first third of the regular season. Coming up next, it’s Texas A&M, so that’ll be a bit of a test for Kelvin Sampson and crew.

5. UConn

UConn took out AR-Pine Bluff 101-63 in a dominant display to improve to 10-1 on the season. However, a real challenge comes up next when the Huskies take on Gonzaga.

In the latest win, Alex Karaban put up 26 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Tristen Newton added 16 points, four rebounds and six assists.

6. Baylor

Baylor hasn’t been in action since December 5, a win over Seton Hall. Still, this team is very solid and a contender. Michigan State is next.

At 9-0, Baylor ran away from the Pirates last week. Kadary Richmond led the way with 18 points, four rebounds and six assists. Dre Davis added 12 points, four rebounds and one assist.

7. Marquette (+1)

What a week for Shaka Smart and Marquette. First, Smart’s team beat Texas, his former school 86-65. It was dominant.

Then after that, it was a 19-point victory over Notre Dame over the weekend. Simply put, the Golden Eagles are rolling and are 9-2. St. Thomas Minnesota and Providence are the next two games on the docket.

8. Creighton (+2)

Creighton improved to 9-1 on the season with a dominant 109-64 win over Central Michigan over the weekend. The Bluejays train keeps on rolling through the first month-plus of the season.

Derrick Butler put up 28 points, seven rebounds and one assist in the win. Meanwhile, Anthony Pritchard had 22 points, four rebounds and four assists.

9. North Carolina

The Tar Heels haven’t played since December 5 as well, an 87-76 loss to UConn. However, there’s a chance to rebound, no pun intended, against Kentucky this coming weekend.

UNC is still 7-2 and could really make a statement with a win over the Wildcats. The last time out, the UConn loss, RJ Davis put up 26 points, four rebounds and one assist. He’ll need another effort like that.

10. Gonzaga (-3)

Gonzaga was upset by Washington on Saturday but the Bulldogs did not drop out of the top 10 rankings. Mark Few’s squad is still very talented, albeit are 7-3 on the year.

They have a game Monday night against MS Valley but everyone circled the calendar for December 15th. That day, Gonzaga hosts UConn, the No. 5 team in the country.

Rest of AP Poll Top 25

11. Oklahoma (+8)
12. Tennessee (+5)
13. Clemson (+11)
14. Kentucky (+2)
15. Florida Atlantic (-4)
16. Illinois (+4)
17. Colorado State (-4)
18. BYU (-4)
19. Texas (-7)
20. James Madison (-2)
21. Duke (+1)
22. Virginia
23. Wisconsin
24. Miami (-9)
25. Northwestern

Others receiving votes: Colorado 116, Mississippi 86, Texas A&M 58, Auburn 57, Memphis 56, Alabama 43, Utah 25, Iowa St. 20, Ohio St. 9, Providence 7, San Diego St. 7, TCU 6, Nevada 5, South Carolina 3, New Mexico 2, Washington 2, Kansas St 1, Grand Canyon 1, Dayton 1, Saint Joseph’s 1.

With more than a month of the season in the books, you can see which teams are for real. But every year, some fall off and some rise to the top. Who’s next?