Purdue remains No. 1 in AP Top 25; Marquette in top 10

Purdue remained at the top of The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll despite suffering a loss, while Marquette moved into the top 10 and North Carolina State made its first poll appearance in four years.

The Boilermakers received 38 of 62 first-place votes in the poll released Monday to remain at No. 1 for the third straight week and seventh this season. Purdue was the unanimous choice last week before falling to Indiana over the weekend for just its second loss this season.

Houston moved up to No. 2 with 22 first-place votes, followed by Alabama, Arizona and Texas to round out the top tier. The Longhorns jumped five spots for the biggest jump of the week.

Tennessee fell four spots to No. 6, followed by UCLA, Virginia, Kansas and Marquette, with Shaka Smart’s Golden Eagles cracking the top 10 for the first time since 2019.

This also marked the last time the Wolfpack landed in the AP Top 25, spending a six-week stay there during the 2018-19 season. But NC State’s 19 wins have already surpassed their totals in each of the last two seasons and have the Wolfpack in contention for the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2018.

Creighton and Rutgers joined NC State as new additions to this week’s poll, though both were ranked earlier this season. The Bluejays were No. 9 in the preseason poll and peaked at No. 7 before falling in mid-December, while the Scarlet Knights spent a week at No. 23 in mid-January.

Florida Atlantic, Clemson and Auburn were left out of this week’s poll.

Report from The Associated Press.

AP Poll Top 25 Men’s College Basketball

1. Purdue (22-2)
2. Houston (22-2)
3. Alabama (20-3)
4. Arizona (21-3)
5. Texas (19-4)
6. Tennessee (19-4)
7. UCLA (19-4)
8. Virginia (17-4)
9. Kansas (18-5)
10. Marquette (19-5)
11. Iowa State (16-6)
12. Kansas State (18-5)
13. Xavier (19-5)
14. Baylor (17-6)
15. Santa Maria (21-4)
16. Gonzaga (19-5)
17. TCU (17-6)
18. Indiana (16-7)
19. Miami (18-5)
20. Providence (17-6)
21. UConn (18-6)
22. NC State (19-5)
23. Creighton (15-8)
24. Rutgers (16-7)
25. San Diego State (18-5)