Men’s basketball AP poll: Tennessee takes over at No. 1 after Kansas drops back-to-back games

For the first time all season, we have a new No. 1 team in the country.

Here’s everything you missed in Week 5 of the college basketball season and the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.

Kansas drops back-to-back games

Everything was going great for the Jayhawks up until last week. They started out the season as the top-ranked team in the sport for a second straight year, and they picked up solid top-10 wins over both North Carolina and Duke early in the season.

Suddenly, though, Kansas has slipped completely out of the top 10 after it dropped two straight games to unranked teams. The Jayhawks came in at No. 10 in this weeks poll, which paved the way for Tennessee to take their spot at No. 1.

First it was Creighton, who rolled to a commanding 13-point win over the Jayhawks on Wednesday night. Star center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who was questionable going into the game with an injury, finished with a double-double and limited Kansas preseason All-American Hunter Dickinson to just six points and a pair of field goals the entire night.

That win, which came shortly Creighton lost three straight and fell out of the national rankings completely, brought the BlueJays back to WHERE this week. They will be without star Pop Isaacs for the rest of the season, however. Isaacs, who had 27 points in the upset win over Kansas, is set to undergo hip surgery.

Then on Sunday, Missouri held on after nearly blowing a 14-point halftime lead to grab a 76-67 win over the Jayhawks in Columbia. The Jayhawks had 22 turnovers as a team.

Kansas’ loss was part of a massive shakeup at the top of the sport this past week. Six of the top-10 teams lost at least one game last week. The Volunteers jumped to No. 1 after a 26-point win over Syracuse, which moved them to 8-0 on the year. Though the Volunteers have only played a single ranked opponent, they rolled to a 15-point win over then-No. 13 Baylor in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahama championship game. They will host Miami and then travel to take on Illinois this week.

Auburn, despite a loss to Duke, held at No. 2. Iowa State, fresh off a win over Marquette, jumped up three spots to No. 3. Duke and Kentucky — which rallied to beat Gonzaga on Sunday night in Seattle — then rounded out the top five.

Kansas will wrap up its nonconference slate with games against NC State and Brown before it hosts West Virginia on Dec. 31. If the Jayhawks carry their losing streak into Big 12 play, it could be a long year for the conference favorites.

Games to watch this week

*Neutral Site Game

Tuesday, Dec. 10

No. 20 Wisconsin at Illinois | 9 p.m. ET | Peacock

Saturday, Dec. 14

No. 17 Texas A&M at No. 11 Purdue | 12 p.m. ET | CBS*

No. 1 Tennessee at Illinois | 5:30 p.m. ET | FOX

No. 8 Gonzaga at No. 18 UConn | 8 p.m. ET | FOX*

Creighton at No. 7 Alabama | 8:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network

AP Top 25

The full Associated Press men’s basketball poll from Dec. 9, 2024.

1. Tennessee (8-0)

2. Auburn (8-1)

3. Iowa State (7-1)

4. Duke (7-2)

5. Kentucky (8-1)

6. Marquette (9-1)

7. Alabama (7-2)

8. Gonzaga (7-2)

9. Florida (9-0)

10. Kansas (7-2)

11. Purdue (8-2)

12. Oregon (9-1)

13. Oklahoma (9-0)

14. Michigan (8-1)

15. Houston (5-3)

16. Clemson (9-1)

17. Texas A&M (8-2)

18. UConn (7-3)

19. Ole Miss (8-1)

20. Wisconsin (8-2)

21. Michigan State (8-2)

22. Cincinnati (7-1)

23. San Diego State (6-2)

24. UCLA (8-1)

25. Mississippi State (8-1)

Others Receiving Votes: Baylor 150, Arizona State 143, Memphis 123, Missouri 119, Penn State 90, Arkansas 89, Drake 67, Pittsburgh 62, Utah State 57, Illinois 47, St. John’s 43, Maryland 39, Dayton 38, Creighton 32, Indiana 30, West Virginia 30, North Carolina 24, Georgia 21, Saint Mary’s 20, Texas 8, Rhode Island 3, Loyola Chicago 1