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Villanova Still No. 1 In Country

Michigan State suffered its second loss in three games on Saturday. A combination of too many turnovers and a stalling offense has jolted Sparty into a funk that has blown the Big Ten race wide open, allowing Purdue and Ohio State to take firm control atop the standings just one-third of the way into league play.
 
The result for Michigan State after a disappointing week is a free fall in the latest AP Top 25, dropping from No. 4 to No. 9 after going 1-1 and falling by double digits to Michigan at home this week. There's silver lining for Spartans fans: there's not a ranked opponent on the schedule until Purdue comes to town on Feb. 10.
 
Purdue looks like it might be the best team in the conference and a national title contender. Winners of 13 straight, the Boilermakers are 6-0 in the Big Ten, tied for first with Ohio State, and now up to No. 3 in the AP Top 25, behind top-ranked Villanova and No. 2 Virginia.
 
The top five of the USA Today coaches poll released on Monday is completely revamped.
 
After last week's second and fourth ranked teams lost this weekend, the new order -- which again begins with Villanova at No. 1 -- is Virginia, Purdue, Wichita State and Duke to round out the new-look top five.
 
Trailing closely behind in the six through 10 slots are four Big 12 teams and the struggling Spartans: No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 7 West Virginia, No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 9 Michigan State and No. 10 Kansas.
 
New to the coaches poll this week is Ohio State and Michigan, both of which have notched wins over Michigan State over the past eight days to fuel momentum in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes improved to 6-0 in the league with a win over Rutgers on Sunday -- good for a first-place tie in the standings alongside Purdue while Michigan bounced back with a 1-point loss to Purdue last Tuesday with its best win on the season Saturday over Michigan State.
 

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