AP Top 25 Poll updated following first week of conference play

College football is wrapping up its season, which means the focus will soon shift to the basketball season, where conference play is just under way as we begin 2023. Now that mid-terms and the Holiday season are in the rear view mirror, all 360-something college hoops teams are back to playing twice a week and against conference foes. The real season has begun, and its first week didn’t disappoint. Several ranked squads suffered losses throughout the last seven days as the chaos of league play disrupted the AP Top 25.

So take a look at the most recent AP Poll for college basketball, which just dropped on Monday afternoon:

Updated AP Top 25

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

Others receiving votes:LSU 83, San Diego State 72, Mississippi State 62, Kentucky 53, Kansas State 41, Illinois 21, Marquette 20, Providence 14, Virginia Tech 7, Memphis 6, West Virginia 5, Michigan State 5, Florida Atlantic 3, Creighton 1

Recap

The most notable result of the week came in Cincinnati, where Xavier took down undefeated Connecticut in the Huskies’ first road Big East test of the season and enjoyed a jump in the rankings. A predictable game to drop, especially against a side as talented and experienced as Xavier. Speaking of which, the Musketeers are on a roll. Former Arizona head coach Sean Miller has his guys playing great ball in year one with X.

Miller was fortunate to talk the veteran pieces into staying — headlined by the huge and pale returning front-court of Zach Freemantle and Jack Nunge, who combine for 30 points and 15 rebounds per game. Xavier also got back multi-faceted perimeter star Colby Jones, then added fifth-year senior Souley Boum through the Transfer Portal, who averaged nearly 20 points per game at his previous school and has blossomed into the Musketeers’ leading scorer. Those ingredients make for an offense that ranks in the top 10 in the country efficiency-wise. Now, the team has a signature win to hang its hat on. Xavier is going to be in the mix this year, folks.

Elsewhere, Charleston finally climbed in there. Frankly, it was time. The Cougars are 14-1 with 12 straight wins, including two home victories over top-50 clubs in Kent State and Virginia Tech — meanwhile, their only loss is to North Carolina on the road. Pat Kelsey’s group deserves to be in the AP Top 25.