AP College Basketball Poll 2024: Complete Week 17 Men's Rankings Released

In the words of legendary wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper: They think they got the answers; I change the questions.

That has been the theme of the 2023-24 men's basketball season, one reinforced after UConn's 85-66 upset loss at the hands of No. 15 Creighton offered another unexpected twist.

Thanks to the defeat, the Huskies fell from No. 1 to the third spot behind Houston and Purdue in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

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AP Top 25 Poll Week 17

1. Houston 
2. Purdue 
3. UConn 
4. Tennessee 
5. Marquette 
6. Arizona 
7. Kansas 
8. Iowa State 
9. North Carolina 
10. Duke 
11. Auburn 
12. Creighton 
13. Illinois 
14. Alabama 
15. Baylor 
16. Kentucky 
17. Saint Mary's 
18. South Carolina 
19. Washington State 
20. San Diego State 
21. Dayton 
22. Utah State 
23. Gonzaga 
24. Florida 
25. South Florida

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UConn was coming off an 81-53 blowout of then-No. 4 Marquette when it made the trip to Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday. The Huskies were the unanimous pick as the No. 1 team in the Week 16 AP poll.

So naturally the reigning national champions lost by 19.

Tristen Newton had a game-high 27 points, but that total eclipsed the combined output of Cam Spencer, Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan (25 points). UConn, which is 10th nationally in effective field-goal percentage, shot 44.1 percent from the field, including a 3-of-16 clip from long range.

The bigger picture hasn't changed for the Huskies. They, along with Purdue and Houston, remain in a class above pack looking ahead to the NCAA tournament. For the first time since Jan. 8, though, the door opened for another team to lead the way in the AP poll.

The Cougars, meanwhile, made a compelling case to move up to No. 1. They hosted No. 6 Iowa State on Monday and earned a 73-65 win, and they averted disaster Saturday against No. 11 Baylor, prevailing 82-76 in overtime.

Bears center Yves Missi was unable to put his team ahead in the final moments as his free throw hit the back iron. Houston guard Jamal Shead was mere moments away from winning the game in regulation, his three-pointer coming just after the buzzer sounded.

Two free throws from L.J. Cryer put the Cougars ahead in overtime with 3:06 on the clock and they didn't look back from there.

Unlike Houston, neither Arizona nor Duke came away from Week 16 unscathed, and their defeats helped to reshape the top 10.

Washington State forward Jaylen Wells turned the tables on the Wildcats as his four-point play put the Cougars ahead in the final 30 seconds on Thursday. Caleb Love's turnover with four seconds on the clock doomed Arizona to its sixth loss.

Two days later, Hunter Sallis' 29 points propelled Wake Forest to an 83-79 win over the Blue Devils, a result that puts North Carolina alone in first place in the ACC by one game. The race might come down to the next installment in Duke and UNC's legendary rivalry on March 9 to close out the regular season.

The SEC title battle, meanwhile, is even more up for grabs with Tennessee and Alabama in joint possession of first place at 11-3. Auburn and South Carolina are just one game back, with Florida and Kentucky two games back of the Vols and Crimson Tide.

Last week was a great encapsulation of the roller-coaster battle for the regular-season crown. Alabama beat Florida on the same night Kentucky was upset by LSU. Then the Wildcats dropped 117 points on the Tide as they came out on top in Lexington.

Tennessee, which registered wins over Missouri and Texas A&M, hosts Auburn on Wednesday before playing Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. This could be a defining week in determining who has the top seed in the SEC tournament.