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Virginia stays at No. 1 in the AP Poll for third straight week

MSU, Xavier, Villanova, and Duke round out the top five.

Virginia v Pittsburgh Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

For the third straight week, the Virginia Cavaliers are the top basketball team in the land. The Hoos picked up six first place votes this week (48 total), with MSU losing two first place votes and Villanova not getting any after losing to Creighton. The Wildcats dropped to No. 4, leaving room for Xavier to jump in to No. 3. Duke stayed steady at No. 5.

Florida State (No. 25) fell out of the rankings, leaving the ACC with four top 25 teams. North Carolina (No. 9) and Clemson (No. 18) join Virginia and Duke in the rankings, though NC State, Florida State, and Virginia Tech were receiving votes.

Texas Tech dropped six spots to No. 12 after back to back losses to Oklahoma State and Kansas, and Arizona fell to No. 19 with their loss to Oregon.

The ACC and Big Ten lead all conferences with four teams represented each, followed by the Big 12 and SEC.

Virginia’s top ranking will face a big test this week as the Hoos head to Louisville on Thursday as they put their perfect 8-0 conference road record on the line.

Check out the full poll:

AP Poll Week 17

Rank Team Record Conference Previous Rank
Rank Team Record Conference Previous Rank
1 Virginia 26-2 ACC 1
2 Michigan State 28-3 Big Ten 2
3 Xavier 25-4 Big East 4
4 Villanova 25-4 Big East 3
5 Duke 24-5 ACC 5
6 Kansas 23-6 Big 12 8
7 Gonzaga 27-4 West Coast 6
8 Purdue 26-5 Big Ten 9
9 North Carolina 22-7 ACC 10
10 Cincinnati 25-4 AAC 11
11 Wichita State 23-5 AAC 13
12 Texas Tech 22-7 Big 12 6
13 Ohio State 24-7 Big Ten 16
14 Auburn 24-5 SEC 12
15 Michigan 24-7 Big Ten 17
16 Tennessee 21-7 SEC 19
17 Rhode Island 23-4 A-10 18
18 Clemson 21-7 ACC 15
19 Arizona 22-7 Pac-12 14
20 West Virginia 21-8 Big 12 21
21 Nevada 25-5 Mountain West 20
22 Saint Mary's 27-4 West Coast 22
23 Kentucky 20-9 SEC NR
24 Middle Tennessee 23-5 C-USA 24
25 Houston 22-6 AAC 23