In Week 8, No. 21 Oregon took down No. 2 UCLA 89-87. It was just one of a handful of upsets this season.
We’re a solid 11 weeks into the college basketball season, so it seems safe to say that this has been a hectic season. Nowhere is that more evident than in the AP Top 25.
We’ve had four different No. 1 teams this year, and 38 teams have been ranked at some point during the season, but it looks like we’re just getting started.
RELATED: Villanova reclaims No. 1 spot; Duke falls in Week 11 AP Poll
Here’s a more in-depth breakdown of the rankings thus far:
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1 team has never dropped in the rankings this year: Gonzaga. The Bulldogs started off the season at No. 14 and have steadily climbed the ladder to their current No. 4 spot. Gonzaga is also the only team that’s managed to stay undefeated this far.
RELATED: 20 things to know about Gonzaga, the last unbeaten in the nation
5 teams that were ranked in the preseason have a net-positive ranking movement. Villanova (+3: started No. 4, now No. 1), Kansas (+1: started No. 3, now. No. 2), Louisville (+1: started No. 13, now No. 12), Gonzaga (+10: started No. 14, now No. 4), and UCLA (+13: started No. 16, now No. 3).
17 of the current ranked teams have been ranked every week since the preseason: Villanova, Kansas, UCLA, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Creighton, West Virginia, North Carolina, Oregon, Louisville, Arizona, Virginia, Wisconsin, Duke, Purdue, Xavier, Saint Mary’s.
11 spots is the biggest any team has jumped in one week. That team would be Baylor, which catapulted from No. 20 to No. 9 between Week 3 (Nov. 21) and Week 4 (No. 28). The Bears went 3-0 that week, taking down No. 24 Michigan State 73-58 and No. 10 Louisville 66-63.
11 spots is also the biggest single-week drop for any team, when Duke dropped from No. 7 to No. 18 between Week 10 (Jan. 9) and Week 11 (Jan. 16). During that span, the Blue Devils were 0-2, dropping games to No. 14 Louisville (78-69) and No. 9 Florida State (88-72). But Oregon may have Duke beat in the anvil category, as the Ducks dropped 19 spots in two weeks from No. 4 to No. 23 with a stop at No. 13 in between (Week 2, Nov. 14 – Week 4, Nov. 28). The Ducks were 3-2 during that stretch, falling to unranked Baylor (66-49) and unranked Georgetown (65-61).
5 weeks is the most one team has stayed in the same position this season, and it’s been done three times so far. Villanova stayed on top at No. 1 from Week 5 (Dec. 5) to Week 9 (Jan. 2) before falling to No. 3 for one week, then jumping back to the top spot. Kansas was No. 3 during that same span before climbing to their current No. 2 ranking in Week 10 (Jan. 9). And Duke stayed at No. 5 from Week 4 (Nov. 28) to Week 8 (Dec. 26) before dropping to No. 8.
