>>Oklahoma Retains No. 1 Ranking in AP Poll Despite Loss, Coach Tab UNC
Despite losing a game, the No. 1-ranked team in the country has not been taken from the top spot. Oklahoma, which fell at Iowa State last Monday, is still the numero uno in the latest AP rankings.
Why did this happen? Well, every team except UNC ranked in the top eight last week did lose, meaning the Sooners stayed with the tide, basically. And given Iowa State is also a really good team, AP voters -- unlike the coaches -- believe the Sooners have a right to the top spot still. Some welcomed rationale from the masses.
Elsewhere, you'll see the Big East is really staying strong at the top. Xavier is No. 7, while Providence is No. 10 -- and those two square off Tuesday night. Villanova, which saw its 22-game win streak in the conference brought to an end by Providence on Sunday, is ranked sixth.
Elsewhere, Iowa makes a big leap from ninth to third. Texas A&M didn't lose last week, so now it's gone from 10th to fifth. SMU was the last unbeaten, but with its loss at Temple on Sunday the Ponies tumble from eighth to 13th. Iowa State was another big climber this week, going from 19th to 14th.
For the fifth straight week, there is a new team atop the Coaches Poll.
North Carolina jumped Oklahoma to become the No. 1 team in the nation following the Sooners' loss to Iowa State last Monday. For their part, the Tar Heels defeated Wake Forest and Virginia Tech to move to 7-0 in the ACC. Those two wins were their 10th and 11th victories in a row.
Oklahoma only moved down to No. 2 after its win at Baylor on Saturday. Behind them are Kansas at No. 3 and Iowa at No. 4. The Hawkeyes are another one of the hottest teams in the country, as they're currently on a nine-game run that features five wins over the top-30 teams currently ranked over at KenPom. Texas A&M rounds out the top five.
As has been usual throughout this season, there was some pretty heavy movement throughout the rest of the poll. The biggest riser was Providence, who moved up seven spots to No. 10 following its win on the road over Villanova. Indiana moved up six spots to No. 17 in response to a 12-game winning streak that has seen them also reach 7-0 in the Big Ten. Iowa State, Oregon and Wichita State -- who re-entered the ranking at No. 25 -- were all also risers of five spots following big weeks.
Duke was the week's biggest faller, dropping eight spots to No. 20 after losing to Syracuse last Monday at home. South Carolina and Arizona were also big droppers, going to No. 15 and No. 22 respectively after losses on the road. Butler and USC also fell out of the bottom of the poll, replaced by the aforementioned Oregon and Wichita State.
>>Iowa State Bounces No. 4 Kansas
Monte Morris scored 21 points, Georges Niang had 15 of his 19 in the second half and No. 14 Iowa State blew past No. 4 Kansas 85-72 on Monday night for its fourth straight win.
Abdel Nader wasn't easy to guard either, adding 17 points for the Cyclones (16-4, 5-3 Big 12). They have beaten three of the top four teams in this week's Top 25.
Iowa State overcame a sluggish start with a 24-7 run midway through the second half, and Niang's three-point play made it 80-67 with 2 minutes left.
Perry Ellis had 23 points and Frank Mason III scored 16 to lead Kansas (16-4, 5-3), which lost its third straight road game.
The Jayhawks have lost four of their last five against the Cyclones, a first for a Bill Self-coached team against a Big 12 opponent.
Kansas hit 17 of its first 29 shots against a defense that entered play ranked last in the Big 12 in points allowed and went up 43-36 at halftime.
But the Jayhawks went cold, and the Cyclones finally pulled even at 53-all on a 3-pointer by Matt Thomas with 11:40 left. Deonte Burton's 3 with 9 minutes to go gave Iowa State its first lead, 60-57.
The Cyclones kept rolling after that, handing the Jayhawks their third straight road loss by double digits.
