Virginia Atop AP Men’s Hoops Poll for First Time Since 1982
Virginia has climbed to No. 1 in the AP men's basketball poll for the first time in more than 35 years.
The Cavaliers earned 30 of 65 first-place votes in Monday's latest poll to outdistance No. 2 Michigan State. Virginia had suffered an overtime home loss Saturday to Virginia Tech, part of an upset-filled week that saw the top three teams lose.
But Tony Bennett's Cavaliers rose above the turmoil at the top, climbing a slot to No. 1 for the first time since December 1982 — the senior season of 7-foot-4 great Ralph Sampson.
The Spartans climbed two slots after their win against Purdue, while last week's No. 1 Villanova fell to third after a home loss to St. John's.
Xavier and Cincinnati rounded out the top five.
| AP Top 25 | |||
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
| 1 | Virginia (30) | 23-2 | 1,557 |
| 2 | Michigan State (21) | 24-3 | 1,527 |
| 3 | Villanova (9) | 23-2 | 1,518 |
| 4 | Xavier (5) | 23-3 | 1,465 |
| 5 | Cincinnati | 23-2 | 1,359 |
| 6 | Purdue | 23-4 | 1,269 |
| 7 | Texas Tech | 21-4 | 1,258 |
| 8 | Ohio State | 22-5 | 1,094 |
| 9 | Gonzaga | 23-4 | 1,063 |
| 10 | Auburn | 22-3 | 1,025 |
| 11 | Clemson | 20-4 | 945 |
| 12 | Duke | 20-5 | 942 |
| 13 | Kansas | 19-6 | 816 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 19-7 | 763 |
| 15 | Saint Mary's | 24-3 | 683 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 20-3 | 666 |
| 17 | Arizona | 20-6 | 594 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 18-6 | 580 |
| 19 | Wichita State | 19-5 | 495 |
| 20 | West Virginia | 18-7 | 339 |
| 21 | Texas A&M | 17-8 | 241 |
| 22 | Michigan | 20-7 | 239 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | 16-8 | 152 |
| 24 | Nevada | 21-5 | 87 |
| 25 | Arizona State | 19-6 | 83 |
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