AP Poll Top 25 revealed following fourth week of college basketball season
College basketball’s season is in full swing. Upsets, huge matchups and everything in-between. Now, following the fourth week of the campaign, the AP Top 25 Poll has officially been updated to reflect the action we saw.
The top team in the country last week fell over the last week. Purdue suffered their first loss of the season to Big Ten rival Northwestern. Additionally, some other top teams fell as well, such as Marquette and Duke.
Moving forward, this week features some wild games, including the Jimmy V Classic and the Big East-Big 12 Battle. As we move forward, here’s where the AP Poll stands for college basketball at the moment.
1) Arizona Wildcats
It wasn’t a busy week for the Wildcats, as they only had one game against Colgate, which resulted in a 27-point victory. However, business will pick up for Arizona this week, as they’ll face Wisconsin on Saturday.
At 7-0 on the season, Arizona has proven to be one of the more formidable teams in the country. Their rise has been steady, and they’re hoping to continue moving forward as their schedule progresses.
2) Kansas Jayhawks
After suffering their first loss of the season, it was a good week for the Jayhawks. Kansas rebounded with a win over Eastern Illinois last Tuesday, although it was only by single digits. However, their big win came against Connecticut, as Kansas handed the reigning champions their first loss.
This week, the Jayhawks will look to stay hot, facing Kansas City on Tuesday. Afterwards, they’ll have an intense SEC clash with Missouri, and that’s lined up for next weekend.
3) Houston Cougars
Houston advanced to 8-0 over the last week. The Cougars defeated Xavier in the Big East-Big Ten Battle, defeating the Musketeers by six last Friday.
They’ll have two clashes this week. First, Houston faces Rice on Wednesday, and then Jackson State will come to town on Saturday. The Cougars will be hoping to reach double-digit wins by this time next week.
4) Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue started off their week as the top team in the country, and defended their crown with a win over Texas Southern. However, their party was ended early by Northwestern over the weekend, as the Wildcats defeated the Boilermakers in overtime.
Now, Purdue will look to rebound with some tough games this week. First, they’ll face Iowa in a Big Ten clash on Monday, and then Alabama is on the docket in the Hall of Fame Series on Saturday.
5) Connecticut Huskies
Connecticut suffered their first loss of the season over the last week. It came against Kansas, as the Jayhawks took care of business in the Big East-Big 12 Battle, as the Huskies fell by four.
The 7-1 squad will now be looking to get back to their winning ways this week. They’ll play North Carolina on Tuesday in the Jimmy V Classic, and AR-Pine Bluff on Saturday, a game they’ll be expected to win.
6) Baylor Bears
It was an awesome week for Baylor after finally entering the top ten. The Bears defeated Nicholls to begin their week, and followed it up with a win over Northwestern State by 51 points.
The challenge is upped for Baylor this week though. They’ll face Seton Hall in the Big East-Big 12 Battle on Tuesday, and follow that up with a trip to Michigan State on Saturday.
7) Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga re-enters the top ten after taking care of business this week. The Bulldogs won both of their contests, defeating Bakersfield and USC in back-to-back games.
Now, they’ll welcome AR-Pine Bluff to town on Tuesday, and travel to face Washington on Saturday. The Bulldogs will look to stay hot with wins in both games. We’ll see if they can do it.
8) Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette raced out to a blazing start to their 2023-2024 campaign. The Golden Eagles continued their hot streak earlier last week, beating Southern by over 30 points.
However, Marquette suffered their first defeat last Saturday. The Golden Eagles fell to Wisconsin. Now, they’ll be looking to bounce back, with clashes against Texas and Notre Dame over the next week.
9) North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina is on a revenge tour after last season’s debacle. The Tar Heels advanced to 7-1 on the season over the last week, defeating Tennessee and Florida State in the process.
They’ve made a huge jump in the polls, and the immediate future is bright for the team. If they can secure a win this week, they’ll continue to climb, but it won’t come easy — the Tar Heels face UConn on Tuesday in the Jimmy V Classic.
10) Creighton Blue Jays
Creighton made a climb back into the top ten following two wins last week. The Blue Jays defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big East-Big 12 Battle, and followed that victory with a win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday.
Creighton will enjoy a couple of days off before getting back into the swing of things. Their next game is Saturday against Central Michigan, where they’ll look to continue their winning ways.
AP Poll Top 25 — 11 through 25:
11) Florida Atlantic
12) Texas
13) Colorado State
14) BYU
15) Miami
16) Kentucky
17) Tennessee
18) James Madison
19) Oklahoma
20) Illinois
21) Texas A&M
22) Duke
23) Wisconsin
24) Clemson
25) San Diego State
Others receiving votes: Virginia 148, Ohio St. 122, TCU 87, Northwestern 77, Alabama 50, Michigan St. 46, Princeton 35, UCLA 23, Cincinnati 21, Mississippi 15, Arkansas 14, Providence 13, South Carolina 9, Villanova 8, Colorado 5, Memphis 5, Nevada 4, Georgia Tech 2.
As you can see, the AP Top 25 Poll for the fourth week of college basketball reflects the action we’ve seen thus far on the court. With some phenomenal showdown over the next couple of days, we’ll see where each team ends up.