AP men’s basketball Top 25: It’s now UConn, and then everyone else after Purdue’s bad loss to Ohio State
South Carolina, once a surprise solid pick in the SEC, finally slipped this past week and dropped back-to-back games
So far, UConn seems to be the only sure thing in college basketball.
Here’s everything you missed in Week 15 of the season, and the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.
UConn takes big step ahead of the country
It’s now UConn, and then everybody else.
The Huskies picked up a massive 81-53 win over then-No. 4 Marquette on Saturday in what was the largest blowout conference win over a top-five team in the history of the AP Poll. UConn took a 21-point lead at halftime, and had absolutely no issue rolling to the 28-point win. UConn has now won 14 straight, which ties a Big East record, and it’s in full control of the conference headed into the final stretch of the regular season.
Naturally, UConn retained the top spot in the polls yet again. Marquette tumbled to No. 7.
UConn hasn’t won a regular season Big East title since 2006, and the Huskies are on a quest to become the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Florida in 2007. They’ll take on No. 15 Creighton on Tuesday night in Omaha, and then will have to travel to Marquette for a rematch in March before the conference tournament kicks off.
Before this past weekend, there was one other team that looked as consistently good as UConn. Purdue, though, sustained a brutal loss on Sunday afternoon.
The Boilermakers, who hadn’t lost since Jan. 9, fell to Ohio State 73-69 on Sunday. By all accounts, that’s an awful loss. The Buckeyes are just 15-11 this season, and are fresh off firing longtime coach Chris Holtmann. Associate head coach Jake Diebler was making his debut leading the team on Sunday.
As a result, Purdue slipped to No. 3 this week. Houston replaced it at No. 2 ahead of its matchup with No. 6 Iowa State on Monday night.
While the Boilermakers are undoubtedly still favorites to win the Big Ten, they are beatable. All of their losses this season have come to unranked teams in conference play. UConn, on the other hand, seems completely unstoppable.
Kentucky jumps ahead of Auburn, South Carolina in SEC
Though the Wildcats fell to Gonzaga a week ago amid a historic home losing skid, they got back on track this week.
Kentucky, after beating Ole Miss on Tuesday, picked up an 11-point road win over Auburn on Saturday. They held the Tigers to just 31% shooting and Antonio Reaves dropped 22 points en route to the win. Auburn also lost star Jaylin Williams to a right knee injury in the second half, which didn’t help things.
Kentucky moved to No. 17 this week.
After a rough stretch for Kentucky, the Wildcats are now in a position to make a real move in the SEC before the season ends. They’ll have to get past Alabama next weekend and then beat Tennessee on the road to close out the regular season, but the SEC is still anybody’s conference to win.
As for Auburn, the loss came after the Tigers picked up a massive 40-point win over then-No. 11 South Carolina. The Tigers snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Gamecocks as they shot 61% from the field and 60% from behind the arc. There was simply nothing that South Carolina, which was on an impressive run of its own, could do. Auburn moved down a spot to No. 14 this week.
South Carolina then fell again on Saturday and gave up a 16-point lead in the second half to lose to unranked LSU 64-63 at home. It was LSU’s first road win over a top 25 team since 2019.
The Gamecocks, who have now lost back-to-back games for the first time all year, dropped nine spots this week to No. 20. After once looking like the surprise pick to win the SEC, they suddenly are facing what is a must-win game against Ole Miss on Saturday.
Games to watch this week
Monday, Feb. 19
No. 6 Iowa State at No. 2 Houston | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN
Tuesday, Feb. 20
No. 1 UConn at No. 15 Creighton | 8:30 p.m. ET | FS1
No. 11 Baylor at No. 25 BYU | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN
San Francisco at No. 18 Saint Mary’s | 11 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Saturday, Feb. 24
No. 2 Houston at No. 11 Baylor | 12 p.m. ET | CBS
No. 10 North Carolina at Virginia | 4 pm. ET | ESPN
No. 13 Alabama at No. 17 Kentucky | 4 p.m. ET | CBS
AP Top 25
The full AP Top 25 poll from Feb. 19, 2024
1. UConn (24-2)
2. Houston (22-3)
3. Purdue (23-3)
4. Arizona (20-5)
5. Tennessee (19-6)
6. Iowa State (20-5)
7. Marquette (19-6)
8. Duke (20-5)
9. Kansas (20-6)
10. North Carolina (20-6)
11. Baylor (19-6)
12. Illinois (19-6)
13. Alabama (18-7)
14. Auburn (20-6)
15. Creighton (19-7)
16. Dayton (21-4)
17. Kentucky (18-7)
18. Saint Mary's (21-6)
19. San Diego State (20-6)
20. South Carolina (21-5)
21. Washington State (20-6)
22. Colorado State (20-6)
23. Texas Tech (18-7)
24. Florida (18-7)
25. BYU (18-7)
Others Receiving Votes: Virginia 103, Gonzaga 99, Wisconsin 88, Michigan St. 64, TCU 54, South Florida 45, New Mexico 27, FAU 27, Utah St. 22, Grand Canyon 16, Nevada 11, Pittsburgh 4, Clemson 3, Appalachian St 1, McNeese St. 1, Drake 1.
