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In this week’s Associated Press Top 25<\/a> men’s college basketball<\/a> poll, released on Monday, a new No. 1 team emerges after a chaotic week of action<\/a>. Here are five takeaways from the poll.<\/p>\n For the first time since 2013, the Wolverines (24-1, 14-1 Big Ten) are the top-ranked program in the country, receiving all but one first-place vote. Michigan now has 10 30-point wins this season \u2014 the most in the country \u2014 after Saturday’s 86-56 rout over UCLA<\/a>.<\/p>\n In addition, 20 of Michigan’s 24 wins have been by double-digits, further cementing the Wolverines as one of the more complete teams in Division I. A tough week lies ahead with meetings against No. 7 Purdue<\/a> on Tuesday and No. 3 Duke<\/a> on Saturday, but that is nothing new for a Michigan team that has passed every ranked test so far.<\/p>\n The Wildcats (23-2, 10-2 Big 12) drop three spots to No. 4 after becoming the third Division I team<\/a> in the last 40 years to lose consecutive games immediately following a 20-0 or better start. The current Nebraska<\/a> squad that began the season 20-0 and the 2013-14 Syracuse<\/a> team (25-0) were the other two.<\/p>\n A statement win<\/a> from then-No. 9 Kansas<\/a> was the first defeat for Arizona, followed by an overtime loss<\/a> at the hands of then-No. 16 Texas Tech<\/a> on Saturday. Both losses were to quality opponents, but it was still a rough week for the previous No. 1 team that had passed every test in its way beforehand.<\/p>\n The Boilermakers (21-4, 11-3 Big Ten) climb six spots to No. 7 after taking down a seventh-ranked Nebraska team, 80-77, and handling Iowa, 78-57, extending their winning streak to four.<\/p>\n In that win over Iowa<\/a> on Saturday, senior guard Braden Smith recorded his 12th game with at least 10 assists this season, moving up to sixth on the all-time career assists list in DI (980). That is the level of play that Purdue will need on Tuesday night when No. 1 Michigan invades Mackey Arena.<\/p>\n The Spartans (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten) fall five spots to No. 15 after suffering their third loss in their last four games in Friday’s 92-71 setback to Wisconsin<\/a>. That 21-point loss was Michigan State’s fourth-largest as a top-10 team in the AP poll era (since 1948-49).<\/p>\n The Tar Heels (20-5, 8-4 ACC) drop five spots to No. 16 after falling<\/a> to unranked Miami<\/a>, 75-66, one game removed from the thrilling rivalry win over in-state rival Duke. North Carolina ultimately bounced back with a win over Pittsburgh<\/a> on Saturday, but with five-star freshman Caleb Wilson out indefinitely<\/a> with a left hand fracture, any chance it had of contending for the national title is likely gone without him.<\/p>\n The Badgers (18-7, 10-4 Big Ten) enter the rankings at No. 24 after picking up back-to-back ranked wins over then-No. 8 Illinois<\/a> and No. 10 Michigan State. The 21-point victory over the Spartans was Wisconsin’s largest against an AP top-10 opponent in program history.<\/p>\n The Crimson Tide (18-7, 8-4 SEC) re-enter the poll at No. 25 on a four-game winning streak. Since the 100-77 setback against a 19th-ranked Florida<\/a> team on Feb. 1, Alabama has scored at least 89 points in each of its four wins.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nArizona takes a tumble after back-to-back losses<\/h2>\n
Purdue surges back into top 10<\/h2>\n
Wisconsin, Alabama<\/a> round out the poll<\/h2>\n