AP TOP 25 WEEK 5 BALLOT—
- Gonzaga
- Baylor
- Kansas
- Iowa
- Villanova
- Houston
- West Virginia
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
- Texas
- Michigan State
- Creighton
- Missouri
- Rutgers
- Texas Tech
- Virginia
- UNC
- Florida State
- Illinois
- Duke
- Michigan
- Oregon
- Virginia Tech
- Ohio State
- Xavier
DROPPED OUT —San Diego State (18), Saint Louis (23), Clemson (25)
JUST OUTSIDE—Arkansas, LSU, Purdue, Providence, Richmond
THE RANKING—
Gonzaga’s 11-point win over Iowa after 17 days between games only reaffirmed why the Bulldogs are the clear choice as the top-ranked team in the nation.
The Hawkeyes join fellow Top 10 squads Kansas and West Virginia in the “has only lost to No. 1 Gonzaga” club.
The same cannot be said for Michigan State. The Spartans faced the biggest drop in my ballot (7 spots) to No. 11 because of the 79-65 setback at Northwestern. Another Big Ten squad, Rutgers, enjoys the largest jump this week, climbing to No. 14 (8 spots) after picking up a signature win over Illinois, 91-88.
San Diego State drops out after the 10-point defeat against BYU, as do Saint Louis and Clemson due to their losses to Minnesota and Virginia Tech, respectively. Ohio State hangs on at No. 24 in my ballot, despite the loss to Purdue because of Saturday’s 77-70 over UCLA.
Undefeated Xavier edges out a crowded field to debut in the Top 25 after a win over Marquette, as does Oregon after extending their winning streak to six games after opening the season with a loss to Mizzou.
