Tennessee grabs No. 1 in AP Top 25 after shakeup; No. 3 Iowa State has highest ranking since 1950s

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Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee is the new No. 1 in men’s college basketball after a massive shakeup in the AP Top 25.

The Vols received 58 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel to reach No. 1 for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Tennessee climbed two spots after Kansas lost twice and Auburn fell to No. 4 Duke. The Tigers remained No. 2 and received three first-place votes.

No. 3 Iowa State had one first-place vote and climbed three places from last week for its highest ranking since 1956-57. Kentucky rounded out the top five.

In all, 14 ranked teams lost, including six teams in the top 10; Kansas and then-No. 11 Wisconsin lost twice. Only two teams — Auburn and No. 12 Oregon — remained in the same poll spots and the volatility saw five teams jump into the rankings.

Tennessee (8-0) is off to its best start since opening the 2000-01 season 9-0 and is No. 1 in the NET rankings. The Vols also are second in the KenPom ratings, ranking second in defensive efficiency and ninth in offensive efficiency despite losing four starters from last year’s SEC championship team. Tennessee beat Syracuse 96-70 in its only game.

Kansas had been No. 1 since the preseason poll before losing to 76-63 to Creighton and 76-67 to rival Missouri. The losses dropped the Jayhawks to No. 10.

Auburn was poised to move into the No. 1 spot for the first time since 2021-22, but lost 84-78 at Duke before beating Richmond.

Iowa State had its highest preseason ranking at No. 5 after reaching the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 a year ago. The Cyclones lost by two to Auburn in the Maui Invitational, but have reeled off four straight wins since.

Iowa State blew out Jackson State 100-58 in its only game before facing rival Iowa.

Huskies rebound

Two-time reigning national champion UConn nearly dropped out of the poll following 0-for-3 run in Maui. The Huskies bounced back nicely, picking up impressive wins over Baylor and Texas to move up seven spots in the poll to No. 18.

“Maybe the people with the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/tennessee-grabs-no-1-ap-184834562.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-09 18:48:00

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