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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 |