For the first time all season, we have a new No. 1 team in the country.
Here’s everything you missed in Week 5 of the college basketball season and the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.
Kansas drops back-to-back games
Everything was going great for the Jayhawks up until last week. They started out the season as the top-ranked team in the sport for a second straight year, and they picked up solid top-10 wins over both North Carolina and Duke early in the season.
Suddenly, though, Kansas has slipped completely out of the top 10 after dropping two straight games to unranked teams. The Jayhawks came in at No. 10 in this week’s poll, which paved the way for Tennessee to take their spot at No. 1.
First it was Creighton, who rolled to a commanding 13-point win over the Jayhawks on Wednesday night. Star center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who was questionable going into the game with an injury, finished with a double-double and limited Kansas preseason All-American Hunter Dickinson to just six points and a pair of field goals the entire night.
That win, which came shortly after Creighton lost three straight and fell out of the national rankings completely, brought the Bluejays back to the cusp of the rankings this week. They received 32 votes. They will be without star Pop Isaacs for the rest of the season, however. Isaacs, who had 27 points in the upset win over Kansas, is set to undergo hip surgery.
Then on Sunday, Missouri held on after nearly blowing a 14-point halftime lead to grab a 76-67 win over the Jayhawks in Columbia. The Jayhawks had 22 turnovers as a team.
“This last week, we haven’t been any good at all the last five days,” Kansas coach Bill Self said, via 247Sports. “So I don’t know that we’re close to finding an identity yet. Because who are we? … I’ll be honest with you, I think right now, we’re kind of in a situation that it’d be hard for me to say from game to game what we are.”
Kansas’ loss was part of a massive shakeup at the top of the sport this past week. Six of the top-10 teams lost at least one game last week. The Volunteers jumped to No. 1 after a 26-point win over Syracuse, which moved them to 8-0 on the year. Though the Volunteers have played only a single ranked opponent, they rolled to a 15-point win over then-No. 13 Baylor in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahama championship game. They will host Miami and then travel to take on Illinois this week.
Auburn, despite a loss to Duke, held at No. 2. Iowa State, fresh off a win over Marquette, jumped up three spots to No. 3. Duke and Kentucky — which rallied to beat Gonzaga on Sunday night in Seattle — rounded out the top five.
Kansas will wrap up its non-conference slate with games against NC State and Brown before hosting West Virginia on Dec. 31. If the Jayhawks carry their losing streak into Big 12 play, it could be a long year for the conference favorites.
More college basketball news
Keep up with the 2024-25 college basketball season with Yahoo Sports
Games to watch this week
*Neutral-site game
Tuesday, Dec. 10
No. 20 Wisconsin at Illinois | 9 p.m. ET | Peacock
Saturday, Dec. 14
No. 17 Texas A&M at No. 11 Purdue | 12 p.m. ET | CBS*
No. 1 Tennessee at Illinois | 5:30 p.m. ET | Fox
No. 8 Gonzaga at No. 18 UConn | 8 p.m. ET | Fox*
Creighton at No. 7 Alabama | 8:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network
AP Top 25
The full Associated Press men’s basketball poll from Dec. 9, 2024.
1. Tennessee (8-0)
2. Auburn (8-1)
3. Iowa State (7-1)
4. Duke (7-2)
5. Kentucky (8-1)
6. Marquette (9-1)
7. Alabama (7-2)
8. Gonzaga (7-2)
9. Florida (9-0)
10. Kansas (7-2)
11. Purdue (8-2)
12. Oregon (9-1)
13. Oklahoma (9-0)
14. Michigan (8-1)
15. Houston (5-3)
16. Clemson (9-1)
17. Texas A&M (8-2)
18. UConn (7-3)
19. Ole Miss (8-1)
20. Wisconsin (8-2)
21. Michigan State (8-2)
22. Cincinnati (7-1)
23. San Diego State (6-2)
24. UCLA (8-1)
25. Mississippi State (8-1)
Others Receiving Votes: Baylor 150, Arizona State 143, Memphis 123, Missouri 119, Penn State 90, Arkansas 89, Drake 67, Pittsburgh 62, Utah State 57, Illinois 47, St. John’s 43, Maryland 39, Dayton 38, Creighton 32, Indiana 30, West Virginia 30, North Carolina 24, Georgia 21, Saint Mary’s 20, Texas 8, Rhode Island 3, Loyola Chicago 1
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