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AP College Basketball Poll 2019: Complete Week 8 Rankings Released
December 23, 2019
In typical years, there may be six teams total that ascend to the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press poll. This year, it has happened before Christmas.
Gonzaga ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the Week 8 Top 25, unseating a Kansas team that dropped to No. 5 after a loss to Villanova. No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Louisville and No. 4 Duke round out the Top Five.
Here is a look at how the entire Top 25 played out:
1. Gonzaga
2. Ohio State
3. Louisville
4. Duke
5. Kansas
6. Oregon
7. Baylor
8. Auburn
9. Memphis
10. Villanova
11. Michigan
12. Butler
13. Maryland
14. Michigan State
15. San Diego State
16. Virginia
17. Florida State
18. Dayton
19. Kentucky
20. Penn State
21. Washington
22. West Virginia
23. Texas Tech
24. Arizona
25. Iowa
Kansas' reign at No. 1 ended after one week when Devon Dotson's game-winning layup attempt missed, giving Villanova a 56-55 home victory. Jermaine Samuels hit a three with 20.5 seconds remaining to put Villanova ahead for good, giving the Wildcats their best win of the young season.
"It's just one of those years," Villanova coach Jay Wright told reporters. "There just isn't one team that's dominant."
Ohio State moved up three spots to No. 2 on the back of a 71-65 win over Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic. D.J. Carlton scored 15 points off the bench and seven Buckeyes scored at least seven points in a stellar all-around team effort.
Kentucky dropped 13 spots after its second straight loss. The Wildcats dropped a 69-66 home thriller to Utah earlier in the week.
John Calipari said his young team is "still learning" how to play together and lamented their lack of passing. Throughout the second half of Saturday's loss to Ohio State, Kentucky's offense devolved into ugly iso ball ending in contested shots.
Maryland and Virginia were the lone other Top 10 teams to lose against an unranked opponent. Maryland fell to Seton Hall, shooting 26.1 percent against a team coming off a 20-point loss to Rutgers. The Terrapins have dropped two straight.
Virginia descended seven spots to No. 16 after an ugly 70-59 loss to South Carolina, as the defending champs continue to struggle scoring.
Iowa is the lone new entrant in the Top 25, coming in at No. 25.