For the fourth time this season, there’s a new No. 1 in the AP Poll. The Tennessee Volunteers took over the top spot—the first time since the 2007-08—after a decisive win over Arkansas and escaping Alabama. In 2008, the Vols defeated then-No. 1 Memphis to take over the top spot before losing on the road to Vanderbilt in their next outing. Tennessee’s next game? A Wednesday road game...at Vanderbilt.
NCAA Basketball Rankings: Tennessee takes over the top spot in the AP Poll
The Vols are the top-ranked team for just the second time in school history.
Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Duke bounced back from their home loss to Syracuse with a big win over Virginia in a thrilling back-and-forth game, but dropped one spot to No. 2. Virginia, which picked up a 22-point win over Virginia Tech before losing the heartbreaker at Cameron Indoor, moved up one spot to No. 3. Gonzaga and Michigan round out the top five.
With Michigan and Virginia both losing on Saturday, there are no more unbeaten teams in college basketball this season.
Michigan State held steady at No. 6, Nevada moved up three spots to No. 7, Kentucky returned to the top 10 at No. 8, Kansas fell two spots to No. 9, and Virginia Tech dropped one to No. 10. The Hokies will have another tough matchup tonight as they face No. 11 North Carolina.
Florida State fell out of the rankings after its no-good, terrible week in which they lost at Pittsburgh and Boston College. Oklahoma and Indiana also fell out of the rankings, making room Louisville, Iowa State, and LSU at Nos. 23, 24, and 25, respectively.
The ACC and SEC led the way with six teams apiece this week, followed by the Big Ten with five. The Pac-12 is still without a team in the top 25.
Here are the full rankings:
AP Poll - Week 12
Rank | Team | Conference | Record | Previous Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | SEC | 16-1 | 3 |
| 2 | Duke | ACC | 15-2 | 1 |
| 3 | Virginia | ACC | 16-1 | 4 |
| 4 | Gonzaga | West Coast | 18-2 | 5 |
| 5 | Michigan | Big Ten | 17-1 | 2 |
| 6 | Michigan State | Big Ten | 16-2 | 6 |
| 7 | Nevada | Mountain West | 18-1 | 10 |
| 8 | Kentucky | SEC | 14-3 | 12 |
| 9 | Kansas | Big 12 | 15-3 | 7 |
| 10 | Virginia Tech | ACC | 15-2 | 9 |
| 11 | North Carolina | ACC | 14-4 | 13 |
| 12 | Marquette | Big East | 16-3 | 15 |
| 13 | Maryland | Big Ten | 16-3 | 19 |
| 14 | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 15-3 | 8 |
| 15 | Buffalo | Mid-American | 17-1 | 16 |
| 16 | Auburn | SEC | 13-4 | 14 |
| 17 | Houston | AAC | 18-1 | 21 |
| 18 | Villanova | Big East | 14-4 | 22 |
| 19 | Iowa | Big Ten | 16-3 | 23 |
| 20 | Mississippi | SEC | 14-3 | 18 |
| 21 | NC State | ACC | 15-3 | 17 |
| 22 | Mississippi State | SEC | 14-3 | 24 |
| 23 | Louisville | ACC | 13-5 | NR |
| 24 | Iowa State | Big 12 | 14-4 | NR |
| 25 | LSU | SEC | 14-3 | NR |
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