Men's college basketball rankings: Gonzaga unranked in AP Top 25 poll after upset over Kentucky

A team from the West Coast Conference entered the AP Top 25 poll on Monday, but it wasn't the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Instead, Saint Mary's (20-6, 11-0 WCC) jumped into the latest rankings at No. 18 following convincing wins over Pacific and Portland to stay unbeaten in league play, though Gonzaga's 89-85 road win over Kentucky could have indirectly worked in the Gaels' favor after they took down the Bulldogs in Spokane a week prior.

It's technically the second AP Top 25 appearance this season for Saint Mary's after it started the season at No. 23. A 3-5 start during nonconference play knocked the Gaels out of the poll, but since then, Randy Bennett has flipped the script amid a 12-game win streak, the longest active win streak in the nation, and sole possession of first place in the WCC standings.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga (18-6, 8-2 WCC) received 50 votes from the voters following its upset over No. 22 Kentucky, which dropped five spots after it suffered its third-straight loss at Rupp Arena. Graham Ike paced with 23 points, Anton Watson and Nolan Hickman had 17 apiece while Ben Gregg and Braden Huff combined for 26 points. The Wildcats overcame a 10-point halftime deficit on the back of Reed Sheppard, who scored all of his 21 points in the second half.

The much-needed win was the first Quad 1 victory of the season for Gonzaga, which nudged up to 24th in the NET. It was the program's first win in a true road game over a top 25-ranked team since 2019 (lost the previous three before Saturday).

Elsewhere, the poll's top five featured UConn, Purdue, Houston, Marquette and Arizona. North Carolina dropped four spots to No. 7 after it fell to Clemson at home last Tuesday, which was followed by a narrow 75-72 win over Miami on Saturday. Tennessee, Duke and Iowa State, which jumped four spots in the poll, rounded out the top 10.

Wisconsin saw the biggest drop of any program when it tumbled nine spots down to No. 20 amid a four-game losing streak, the latest letdown being a 78-56 loss at Rutgers on Saturday. Before that, the Badgers suffered a 72-68 defeat at Michigan, which sits last in the Big Ten standings.

No. 23 Indiana State got into the latest poll for the first time since 1979 when it was ranked No. 1. The Sycamores are riding a nine-game win streak and have a two-game lead over Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference at 11-1.

No. 19 Virginia and No. 25 Oklahoma returned to the top 25, while Utah State and San Diego State dropped out after both slipped up in Mountain West Conference play last week.

Here's the complete AP Top 25:

1. UConn (22-2, 12-1 Big East)

2. Purdue (22-2, 11-2 Big Ten)

3. Houston (21-3, 8-3 Big 12)

4. Marquette (18-5, 9-3 Big East)

5. Arizona (19-5, 10-3 Pac-12)

6. Kansas (19-5, 7-4 Big 12)

7. North Carolina (19-5, 11-2 ACC)

8. Tennessee (17-6, 7-3 SEC)

9. Duke (18-5, 9-3 ACC)

10. Iowa State (18-5, 7-3 Big 12)

11. South Carolina (21-3, 9-2 SEC)

12. Baylor (17-6, 6-4 Big 12)

13. Auburn (19-5, 8-3 SEC)

14. Illinois (17-6, 8-4 Big Ten)

15. Alabama (17-7, 9-2 SEC)

16. Dayton (19-4, 9-2 A-10)

17. Creighton (17-7, 8-5 Big East)

18. Saint Mary's (20-6, 11-0 WCC)

19. BYU (17-6, 5-5 Big 12)

20. Wisconsin (16-8, 8-5 Big Ten)

21. Virginia (19-5, 10-3 ACC)

22. Kentucky (16-7, 6-4 SEC)

23. Indiana State (22-3, 13-1 MVC)

24. Florida Atlantic (19-5, 9-2 AAC)

25. Oklahoma (18-6, 6-5 Big 12)