FAU jumps to program-best No. 7 in Top 25; Purdue stays at No. 1

Field Level Media|published: Mon 25th December, 15:21 2023

Dec 5, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls guard Johnell Davis (1) brings the ball up court against the Illinois Fighting Illini with guard Alijah Martin (15) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. credits: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Florida Atlantic jumped up seven spots to No. 7 in the latest Associated Press poll, marking the highest ranking ever for the program.

FAU's dramatic 96-95 double-overtime win over No. 4 Arizona on Saturday is the latest proof the Owls are intent on displaying that last season's Final Four appearance was no fluke. At 10-2 and with nearly several players still around from last year's tournament run, they seem poised for another serious go come March.

Purdue (11-1) remained at the top of the list for the second straight week, earning 46 of 60 first-place votes, thanks to a 100-57 thrashing of Jacksonville on Thursday.

Behind Purdue in the top 5 are the same teams as last week: Kansas (11-1) at No. 2, Houston (12-0) at No. 3, Arizona (9-2) at No. 4 and UConn (11-2) keeping the fifth spot.

Tennessee (9-3), FAU, Kentucky (9-2), North Carolina (8-3) and Marquette (10-3) round out the top 10. The Tar Heels entered the Top 10 this week after beating then-No. 7 Oklahoma 81-69 on Wednesday. Marquette fell four spots with a 1-1 week that included a loss at Providence.

Duke (8-3) beat then-No. 10 Baylor 78-70 to help them jump up five spots to No. 16. Memphis (10-2) also climbed in the poll, riding a close win over Vanderbilt and an easier win over then-No. 22 Virginia to reach No. 19. The loss helped bump the Cavaliers (9-2) out of the Top 25 rankings.

Others taking dives in the wrong direction include Creighton (9-3) with the biggest fall, dropping 10 spots to No. 22 after a loss to unranked Villanova, marking its second loss in its last three games. Baylor (10-2) took a seven-spot dip to No. 17, and Oklahoma (10-1) dropped seven to No. 12 after two losses.

The rest of the poll:

11. Illinois

12. Oklahoma

13. Gonzaga

14. BYU

15. Colorado State

16. Duke

17. Baylor

18. Clemson

19. Memphis

20. James Madison

21. Texas