Latest AP top 25 released entering conference championship week

Another week of college basketball is in the books, and now we are set to enter postseason play. After another week filled with upsets and intriguing games, the latest AP top 25 has been released entering conference championship week.

This past week, two teams in the AP top 25 were idle: Gonzaga and St. Mary’s.

In last week’s top ten, five teams lost one game. Arizona (previously No. 2) and Baylor (previously No. 3) were both perfect on the week, with the Wildcats going 3-0 and Baylor going 2-0. Auburn (No. 5) and Kentucky (No. 7) also went 2-0 on the week. Duke (No. 4), Kansas (No. 6), Purdue (No. 8), Providence (No. 9), and Wisconsin (No. 10) all picked up one loss. Wisconsin’s loss was a big one on Sunday, as it cost the Badgers the outright regular season Big Ten title.

Elsewhere in last week’s AP top 25, nine teams outside the top 25 picked up at least one loss. USC (No. 16), Texas (No. 21), and Alabama (No. 25) had weeks to forget, with each team going 0-2. Texas picked up two top ten losses against Baylor and Kansas, and USC fell to Arizona and UCLA. Alabama, though, fell against unranked Texas A&M and LSU.

As teams fight for their respective conference tournament titles, some teams will also be fighting for their bid to the NCAA Tournaments. With the stakes as high as ever, the next week figures to be an electric one.

The latest AP top 25

1. Gonzaga (24-3)
2. Arizona (28-3)
3. Baylor (26-5)
4. Auburn (27-4)
5. Kentucky (25-6)
6. Kansas (25-6)
7. Duke (26-5)
8. Villanova (23-7)
9. Purdue (25-6)
10. Tennessee (23-7)
11. Providence (24-4)
12. Wisconsin (24-6)
13. UCLA (23-6)
14. Texas Tech (23-8)
15. Arkansas (24-7)
16. Illinois (22-8)
17. St. Mary’s (24-6)
18. Houston (26-5)
19. Murray State (30-2)
20. UConn (22-8)
21. USC (25-6)
22. Texas (21-10)
23. Colorado State (24-4)
24. Iowa (22-9)
25. North Carolina (23-8)

Note: Purdue and Tennessee are tied for the ninth spot in the rankings, with each team receiving 967 total points in voting.

Gonzaga received 52 first-place votes this week, while Arizona received six and Baylor saw three. Ohio State and Alabama both fell out of the latest AP top 25. In their places, Colorado State and North Carolina enter the rankings.

Other teams to receive votes this week include Boise State (49 votes), South Dakota State (32), Memphis (26), San Diego State (24), LSU (22), and Loyola Chicago (16).