Five takeaways from AP Top 25 men's basketball poll

While most of the men's college basketball Associated Press Top 25 has seen a lot of shuffling two weeks into the season, Kansas has remained No. 1. 

Here are five takeaways from this week's poll, which was released Monday:

1. UConn, Gonzaga close behind Kansas

Receiving 49 first-place votes from the 61-person media panel, the Jayhawks remain on top. After picking up a huge win at home against a top-10 North Carolina, Kansas held Michigan State to 34.8 percent shooting and just 3-of-24 from three-point range in the Champions Classic in a 77-69 victory.

Hunter Dickinson and South Dakota State transfer Zeke Mayo have led the Jayhawks. Dickinson has posted two 20-point double-doubles and nearly had another double-double in the team's win over Oakland on Saturday. Mayo played a pivotal role in Kansas' win over the Tar Heels with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. 

If Kansas can maintain its field-goal percentage of 50.8 percent and continue getting production alongside Dickinson, the Jayhawks will be hard to knock off.

2. Kentucky sees biggest jump in rankings

Mark Pope did not take long to get his first signature win as head coach of the Wildcats. After two blowout wins to open the season, Kentucky rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit and held Duke to 26 points the rest of the way. With a 77-72 win, the Wildcats moved up 10 spots in the poll to No. 9.

The big story for Kentucky is its 40 percent rate from behind the arc. With four players averaging double figures and Amari Williams averaging 11.7 points and 11.7 rebounds, the Wildcats have impressive depth.

Kentucky will get a slight break in its schedule with home games against Lipscomb, Jackson State, Western Kentucky and Georgia State before a road game at Clemson on Dec. 3 and a contest against No. 3 Gonzaga on Dec. 7. 

3. Purdue rises seven spots after statement win over Alabama

Friday was a hot-shooting night for the Boilermakers, now ranked sixth, against the Crimson Tide. Purdue won 87-78 behind Trey Kaufman-Renn's 26 points and ridiculous 56.3 percent shooting from three.

With 17 points and 10 assists, Braden Smith passed Tony Jones and Everette Stephens for the third-most assists in Purdue history (483), per Matthew Glenesk of the South Bend Tribune.

Despite losing Zach Edey to the Memphis Grizzlies, this Purdue team appears to be a strong contender once again, especially if Kaufman-Renn and Smith keep making a high percentage of their shots.

4. Alabama, Duke, Arizona see biggest drop in rankings

The Crimson Tide slid to No. 8 after losing to Purdue on Friday night. Alabama could not slow Purdue, but it got another strong performance from Mark Sears, who scored 15 points. Sears has scored 15 or more points in each of his past nine games against AP-ranked opponents.

Duke fell to No. 12 in the rankings after late miscues from freshman sensation Cooper Flagg in the team's loss to Kentucky. But Flagg has still been impressive, tallying 57 points, 30 rebounds and 10 assists in his first three collegiate games. He is the first Duke player in the past 40 years to achieve 50 points, 25 rebounds and 10 assists in that timeframe. 

After allowing 103 points in a loss to Wisconsin, its most in a non-overtime game since 2009, Arizona heads into Friday's huge showdown against Duke ranked 17th. The Wildcats must improve their defense and three-point shooting (27.4 percent).

5. Wisconsin, Illinois join rankings

With its impressive win over Arizona, Wisconsin enters the top 25 at No. 19. The 103 points, including 41 by John Tonje, were the Badgers' most over an AP-ranked team. Wisconsin has the firepower to hang with almost anyone. 

The Fighting Illini enter the top 25 on the heels of a career-high 20 points from Tomislav Ivisic. As Illinois prepares to face Alabama on Wednesday, the Fighting Illini will need to shoot better than their season average of 36.2 percent from three if they are going to pull the upset.