AP Top 25 poll updated following Christmas Week

Christmas Week meant Christmas Break for a lot of college basketball teams this past week. Pro sports typically dominate the Lord’s Day, while most college teams opt to give their teams the 24-26th off. In fact, there are ZERO college hoops games on Monday — the last such day until late March. With such a light slate over the last seven days, the Ap Top 25 didn’t see a ton of movement, though several ranked squads slipped up, so there’s plenty of movement.

So, go ahead and take a look at the most recent AP Top 25 poll:

Updated AP Top 25

1. Purdue (12-0)
2. UConn (13-0)
3. Houston (12-1)
4. Kansas (11-1)
5. Arizona (12-1)
6. Texas (10-1)
7. Tennessee (10-2)
8. Alabama (10-2)
9. Arkansas (11-1)
10. Gonzaga (10-3)
11. UCLA (11-2)
12. Baylor (9-2)
13. Virginia (8-2)
14. Miami FL (12-1)
15. Wisconsin (9-2)
16. Indiana (10-3)
17. Duke (10-3)
18. TCU (10-1)
19. Kentucky (8-3)
20. Auburn (10-2)
21. Mississippi State (11-1)
22. New Mexico (12-0)
23. Xavier (10-3)
24. West Virginia (10-2)
25. North Carolina (9-4)

Well, that top five held pat as those teams all picked up victories this week, with Purdue and UCONN maintaining their undefeated records as we merge into conference play. Meanwhile, a trio one one-loss squads — Kansas, Arizona and Houston — round out the top five, just as they did a week ago.

After a horrid start to the year, TCU is also climbing back up the rankings. They were a top-15 team in the preseason but fell to Northwestern State in one of their very first games — when they didn’t have starting guards Mike Miles and Damion Baugh available. So throw that one out and the Horned Frogs are 8-0 since and boast one of the best defenses in the country.

The biggest win of the week came from the Miami Hurricanes, who outlasted previously No. 6 Virginia at home by two to snag their signature win of the season after a quiet but steady start to the year.