AP College Basketball Poll 2022: Complete Week 9 Rankings Released
January 3, 2022
Baylor remains the clear No. 1 men's basketball team in the country after improving to 13-0 with another impressive week.
Postponements throughout Division I college basketball led to little change in the latest Associated Press men's poll as the top seven spots remained the same as last week. Baylor stood out with a win over previously unbeaten Iowa State, creating some separation at the top.
Here is the full Top 25 heading into Week 9 of the 2021-22 season.
1. Baylor
2. Duke
3. Purdue
4. Gonzaga
5. UCLA
6. Kansas
7. USC
8. Arizona
9. Auburn
10. Michigan State
11. Iowa State
12. Houston
13. Ohio State
14. Texas
15. Alabama
16. Providence
16. Kentucky
18. Tennessee
19. Villanova
20. Colorado State
21. LSU
22. Xavier
23. Wisconsin
24. Seton Hall
25. Texas Tech
Baylor continues to survive every difficult test as it proves to be a top contender to win back-to-back national championships.
The Bears went into Hilton Coliseum against a red-hot Cyclones squad and held the hosts to 1-of-14 shooting from three-point range in a 77-72 win. With six of its eight players scoring at least nine points, this team gets production from a lot of different places, which helps pull out wins against tough opponents.
Iowa State (12-1) fell from No. 8 to No. 11 in the latest poll, although there is no shame in a close loss to a quality opponent.
Auburn jumped to No. 9 after a dominant 70-55 win over LSU this week, featuring a triple-double by Walker Kessler:
Auburn Basketball @AuburnMBBMaking History<a href="https://twitter.com/WalkerKessler13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WalkerKessler13</a> put up the 2nd Triple Double in school history. <br><br>1️⃣6️⃣ pts <br>1️⃣0️⃣ reb<br>1️⃣1️⃣ blk<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WarEagle?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WarEagle</a> <a href="https://t.co/6RZoBSX74A">pic.twitter.com/6RZoBSX74A</a>
It was part of a telling week in the SEC in which Alabama pulled out a 73-68 win over Tennessee. The Volunteers dropped to No. 18 one week after an upset win over Arizona.
Kentucky also remains a team to watch after improving to 11-2, although Tuesday's game at No. 21 LSU will be a tougher matchup for the No. 16 Wildcats.
In the Big East, it was a disappointing week for Seton Hall with losses to Providence and Villanova—both Top 25 teams—by a combined 11 points. The Pirates were short-handed because of COVID-19 protocols, but the latest results dropped the team to 9-3 and from No. 15 to No. 24.
"We're still in a good spot," head coach Kevin Willard told reporters after Saturday's loss to Villanova. "We're still a very good basketball team. Losing two games is not going to change that when you have eight guys."
Providence, meanwhile, is up to 16th in the latest rankings after building an eight-game winning streak and a 13-1 start.
No. 3 Purdue could be a team to watch in the upcoming week after cruising through its remaining nonconference schedule. The Boilermakers (12-1) host Wisconsin (10-2) on Monday before a potentially tricky battle at Penn State (6-5) on Saturday.