The top of the AP Poll got a major shakeup on Monday after a wild weekend of chaos with Houston climbing up one spot to No. 2 and Purdue holding off a host of teams to remain at No. 1 for a third consecutive week. The Boilermakers after falling on the road to No. 21 Indiana fell from the unanimous No. 1 a week ago but still earned a majority (38 of 62) of first-place votes from AP voters.
Houston earned 22 first-place votes in jumping from No. 3 to No. 2 and supplanting Tennessee in the No. 2 spot. Alabama and Arizona also jumped one spot each to No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, with both earning one first-place vote each.
Tennessee dropped all the way to No. 6 following a road loss to Florida and a close-shave win over Auburn at home on Saturday, which bumped Houston, Alabama and Arizona up one spot in the newest rankings. Texas also benefited with a jump to No. 5 — its highest ranking since Week 5 this season.
The Big 12 placed six teams in the top 20 once again this week but only Texas, which jumped five spots to No. 5, and Iowa State, which moved up two spots to No. 11, climbed up the rankings this week. Kansas dropped one spot to No. 9, TCU bumped down two spots to No. 17 and Baylor fell three spots. Kansas State had the biggest fall of them all in dropping out of the top 10 from No. 7 a week ago to No. 12 on Monday following losses to Kansas and Texas.
Kansas State’s exit from the top 10 in the poll opened up a spot for Marquette to sneak its way into the No. 10 spot following two wins this week that extended its winning streak to five. The Golden Eagles have steadily been climbing in the rankings the last month after opening the season unranked. Their No. 10 ranking marks the highest for the program since the 2018-19 season.
AP Top 25
1. Purdue (38)
2. Houston (22)
3. Alabama (1)
4. Arizona (1)
5. Texas
6. Tennessee
7. UCLA
8. Virginia
9. Kansas
10. Marquette
11. Iowa State
12. Kansas State
13. Xavier
14. Baylor
15. Saint Mary’s
16. Gonzaga
17. TCU
18. Indiana
19. Miami
20. Providence
21. UConn
22. NC State
23. Creighton
24. Rutgers
25. San Diego State
Also receiving votes: FAU 93, Duke 87, Auburn 65, Clemson 31, Pittsburgh 26, Illinois 25, New Mexico 16, Nevada 16, Maryland 12, Arkansas 11, Iowa 8, Missouri 6, Oral Roberts 5, West Virginia 5, USC 4, Northwestern 3, Charleston 3, Utah St. 2, VCU 2, Kentucky 1.
