Villanova couldn't stay away from No. 1 for long

Share

Well, that didn't last long.

No, not just Villanova's tread on the losing track. They now haven't dropped consecutive games in almost five years.

The Wildcats' trip away from the No. 1 ranking in the nation didn't last long, either.

The newest AP poll was released Monday afternoon and Jay Wright's 'Cats found themselves right back in the top spot they had vacated a week prior after a loss to Butler in Indianpolis on Dec. 30. A 100-90 win over Marquette on Saturday and losses by former No. 1 Michigan State (80-64 at Ohio State on Sunday) and former No. 2 Duke (96-85 at NC State on Saturday) were the tricks Villanova needed to vault back atop the rankings.

Fresh off his 400th win, Wright will lead the Wildcats into a top-10 matchup Wednesday vs. Big East rival and No. 10 Xavier at the Wells Fargo Center. Xavier, No. 5 in poll last week, fell to No. 10 after am 81-72 loss at Providence on Saturday afternoon.

The Wildcats received 52 of the 65 first-place votes this week. No. 2 West Virginia, which has its highest ranking since 1959, received 12 first-place votes. No. 3 Virgina received a single first-pace vote. No. 4 Michigan State and No. 5 Purdue rounded out this week's top five.

For this week's full AP top 25, click here.

Contact Us