12/25/2023 3:20:26 PM EST
Florida Atlantic jumped up seven spots to No. 7 in the latest Associated Press poll, marking the highest ranking ever for the program.FAU's dramatic 96-95 double-overtime win over No. 4 Arizona on Saturday is the latest proof the Owls are intent on displaying that last season's Final Four appearance was no fluke. At 10-2 and with nearly several players still around from last year's tournament run, they seem poised for another serious go come March.Purdue (11-1) remained at the top of the list for the second straight week, earning 46 of 60 first-place votes, thanks to a 100-57 thrashing of Jacksonville on Thursday. Behind Purdue in the top 5 are the same teams as last week: Kansas (11-1) at No. 2, Houston (12-0) at No. 3, Arizona (9-2) at No. 4 and UConn (11-2) keeping the fifth spot. Tennessee (9-3), FAU, Kentucky (9-2), North Carolina (8-3) and Marquette (10-3) round out the top 10. The Tar Heels entered the Top 10 this week after beating then-No. 7 Oklahoma 81-69 on Wednesday. Marquette fell four spots with a 1-1 week that included a loss at Providence.Duke (8-3) beat then-No. 10 Baylor 78-70 to help them jump up five spots to No. 16. Memphis (10-2) also climbed in the poll, riding a close win over Vanderbilt and an easier win over then-No. 22 Virginia to reach No. 19. The loss helped bump the Cavaliers (9-2) out of the Top 25 rankings.Others taking dives in the wrong direction include Creighton (9-3) with the biggest fall, dropping 10 spots to No. 22 after a loss to unranked Villanova, marking its second loss in its last three games. Baylor (10-2) took a seven-spot dip to No. 17, and Oklahoma (10-1) dropped seven to No. 12 after two losses. The rest of the poll:11. Illinois12. Oklahoma13. Gonzaga 14. BYU15. Colorado State16. Duke17. Baylor 18. Clemson 19. Memphis 20. James Madison 21. Texas 22. Creighton23. Wisconsin 24. Ole Miss 25. Providence--Field Level Media