Kentucky, Virginia lead AP Poll; Northern Iowa makes top 10
The top eight teams in the Associated Press top 25 poll remain unchanged this week, with Kentucky, Virginia, Gonzaga, Duke and Wisconsin still comprising the top five.
Kentucky (27-0) continued its unbeaten season with big wins over Tennessee and Auburn. On the road against the Volunteers, the Wildcats held only a four-point halftime lead before outscoring Tennessee 31-17 in the second half. Against Auburn, Kentucky had six players score in double-figures and shot 64.7 percent from the field.
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Virginia (25-1) picked up a pair of double-digit wins over Pitt and Florida State. The Florida State game proved somewhat costly for the Cavaliers, as sophomore guard London Perrantes suffered a nose injury after colliding with teammate Malcolm Brogdon. Perrantes averages 5.9 points and a team-high 4.4 assists per game. Head coach Tony Bennett said after the game he was unsure whether Perrantes broke his nose.
Gonzaga (28-1) defeated West Coast Conference foes Pacific and Saint Mary's. Duke (24-3) took down North Carolina in overtime on Wednesday, using a late rally in regulation to fend off the Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. On Saturday, the Blue Devils played without leading scorer Jahlil Okafor, who sat out with a sprained left ankle.
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No. 5 Wisconsin (25-2) defeated Penn State and Minnesota. The Badgers have a three-game lead in the Big Ten.
Northern Iowa (26-2) moved into the top 10 for the first time in school history following Missouri Valley Conference wins over Loyola Chicago and Bradley, finishing the week behind No. 8 Kansas and No. 9 Notre Dame.
No. 25 Providence (19-8) returned to the rankings for the first time since the final poll of the 2003-04 season.
The complete top 25 is below:
1. Kentucky
2. Virginia
3. Gonzaga
4. Duke
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Notre Dame
10. UNI
11. Wichita State
12. Iowa State
13. Utah
14. Maryland
15. North Carolina
16. Oklahoma
17. Louisville
18. Arkansas
19. Baylor
20. West Virginia
21. SMU
22. VCU
23. Butler
24. San Diego State
25. Providence
- Mike Fiammetta
