Gonzaga reclaims No. 1 in AP Top 25; Wofford debuts at 24th

Players on the Gonzaga bench celebrate during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against BYU in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. Gonzaga won 102-68. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
Players on the Gonzaga bench celebrate during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against BYU in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. Gonzaga won 102-68. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

NEW YORK (AP) - Gonzaga is back atop the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll.

The Zags moved up a spot Monday to begin a second stint at No. 1 this season, both times replacing Duke at the top. They earned 44 of 64 first-place votes.

Gonzaga (27-2) spent two weeks at No. 1 after beating the Blue Devils to win the Maui Invitational in November. Mark Few's team fell out after a December loss to Tennessee followed by another to North Carolina, but it has since won 18 straight games.

Virginia moved up a spot to No. 2 and had 15 first-place votes, while the Blue Devils fell to third after losing at home to rival North Carolina in a game that saw freshman star Zion Williamson go down with an injury to his right knee in the opening minute - complete with the image of his left foot tearing through his shoe as he fell to the floor.

The Tar Heels climbed to a season-high fifth behind Kentucky. Michigan State, Tennessee, Houston, Michigan and Marquette rounded out the top 10.

Preseason No. 1 Kansas fell to 15th, the Jayhawks' lowest ranking since January 2014.

There were three new additions to this week's poll, headlined by Wofford checking in at No. 24 for the first AP poll appearance in program history. The Terriers (24-4) are 16-0 in the Southern Conference and their only losses have come against power-conference teams UNC, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mississippi State.

Cincinnati and Washington both re-entered the poll, while Louisville, Iowa State and reigning national champion Villanova slid out.

The Top Twenty Five

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 24, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week's ranking:

Record - Pts - Prv

1. Gonzaga (44) - 27-2 - 1569 - 2

2. Virginia (15) - 24-2 - 1513 - 3

3. Duke (3) - 24-3 - 1502 - 1

4. Kentucky (2) - 23-4 - 1418 - 4

5. North Carolina - 22-5 - 1326 - 8

6. Michigan St. - 23-5 - 1232 - 10

7. Tennessee - 24-3 - 1190 - 5

8. Houston - 26-1 - 1145 - 9

9. Michigan - 24-4 - 1057 - 7

10. Marquette - 23-4 - 1019 - 11

11. Texas Tech - 22-5 - 938 - 14

12. Nevada - 25-2 - 883 - 6

13. LSU - 22-5 - 836 - 13

14. Purdue - 20-7 - 820 - 15

15. Kansas - 20-7 - 580 - 12

16. Kansas St. - 21-6 - 559 - 23

17. Maryland - 21-7 - 549 - 24

18. Florida St. - 21-6 - 501 - 16

19. Wisconsin - 19-8 - 466 - 22

20. Virginia Tech - 21-6 - 392 - 20

21. Buffalo - 24-3 - 288 - 25

22. Iowa - 21-6 - 278 - 21

23. Cincinnati - 23-4 - 263 - -

24. Wofford - 24-4 - 112 - -

25. Washington - 22-5 - 92 - -

Others receiving votes: Louisville 90, Villanova 63, Iowa St. 58, Mississippi St. 28, Auburn 16, Baylor 10, VCU 4, Old Dominion 2, New Mexico St. 1.

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