Five takeaways from AP Top 25 men's basketball poll

Even though the top five of this week's men's college basketball Associated Press Top 25 remains the same, that will not be the case after a jam-packed holiday week lineup.

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

Kansas remains No. 1 ahead of showdown with Duke 

Receiving 51 of 62 first-place votes from the national panel of media, the Jayhawks (5-0) continue to stay atop the rankings heading into the holiday week.

Kansas already owns a 92-89 win over a ninth-ranked North Carolina team back on Nov. 8 and a 77-69 Champions Classic victory over Michigan State (2-1) on Nov. 12. Hunter Dickinson continues to lead the way with 17.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

If Kansas is going to stay atop the rankings, it will need to find a way to contain Cooper Flagg when the Jayhawks face No. 11 Duke (4-1) in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. With 89 points, 44 rebounds, 19 assists, nine blocks and nine steals, Flagg is the only freshman in the last 20 seasons to lead his team in all five categories through five career games.

Rest of top five stays put with big tests looming 

While UConn, Gonzaga, Auburn and Iowa State lock down the rest of the top five once again, opportunity awaits each team throughout the stacked holiday week.

The No. 2 Huskies were the first to fall victim with a 99-97 overtime loss to Memphis in the first round of the Maui Invitational, dropping them to 4-1. Fourth-ranked Auburn (4-0) and fifth-ranked Iowa State (3-0) play on Monday night. No. 12 North Carolina (3-1) is also in the field.

No. 3 Gonzaga (5-0) heads to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The field also includes No. 14 Indiana (4-0) and 24th-ranked Arizona. There is a possibility Gonzaga could face both Indiana and Arizona, assuming there are no upsets.

This week will give us more answers as each of the top five teams is put to the test in some intriguing early-season matchups.

Tennessee, Marquette soar into top 10

With its dominant performance in the Bahamas, Tennessee (6-0) took down then-No. 13 Baylor (4-2), 77-62, to win the Baha Mar championship. The win moved Tennessee up to No. 7 in the poll from No. 11.

The Volunteers outscored Baylor 47-20 in the first half and shot 52.2 percent from the field. Chaz Lanier had 25 points and shot 56.3 percent.

Per NCAA.com, Tennessee is fifth in the country in field goal percentage (53 percent). If that continues, the Volunteers may keep inching closer to the top of the rankings.

Marquette (6-0) was the biggest mover in this week's poll. With a comfortable 76-58 win over Purdue and an 80-69 win over previously unbeaten Georgia (5-1), the Golden Eagles go from No. 15 to No. 10 in the poll.

For the first time since 2011-12, Marquette opens a season with a 6-0 record. 

Kam Jones continues to be a problem for opposing teams. Jones recorded a triple-double against Purdue and is averaging 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists this season. 

Marquette appears to be a strong contender, especially if teams continue to have difficulty containing Jones.

Purdue, Creighton, Arizona experience biggest drop

After taking down then-No. 2 Alabama (4-1), 87-78, on Nov. 15, Purdue (5-1) followed that up with a 76-58 loss to Marquette. The loss drops the Boilermakers all the way down to No. 13.

While Purdue is shooting 50.5 percent from the floor, the Boilermakers are allowing 67.7 points per game, which is tied for 115th, according to NCAA.com. If Purdue can get more stops, its offense is plenty capable of hanging with anyone in the country.

Creighton (4-1) falls from No. 14 to No. 21 after losing 74-63 to Nebraska (4-1). The Bluejays set a school record by attempting a whopping 42 three-point shots in the loss. That may not have been the best option, considering Creighton is only making 30.7 percent from behind the arc.

While Ryan Kalkbrenner continues to impress (21.4 PPG, nine RPG), Creighton needs to find more consistency around their star big man.

After suffering back-to-back losses to Wisconsin (4-0), 103-88, and Duke, 69-55, Arizona (2-2) falls to No. 24 from its No. 17 ranking.

The 55 points in the loss to Duke are tied for the fewest under head coach Tommy Lloyd. 

The Wildcats need more production from Caleb Love, who is only averaging 10.3 points compared to 18 points per game during the 2023-24 season. Arizona's three-point shooting percentage (27.1) also needs to improve.

Xavier, Ole Miss, Mississippi State join rankings

Xavier enters the poll with a 5-0 record. The Musketeers have shot 50 percent or better from the floor three times and have made 10 or more threes in four straight games. The hot shooting from Xavier could pose a challenge, assuming they can sustain it.

In-state rivals Ole Miss and Mississippi State enter the rankings as well. The 23rd-ranked Rebels (5-0) are only shooting 35.9 percent from three but are coming off their second 100-point game in the last decade in a 100-68 win over Oral Roberts. 

Mississippi State, ranked 25th, is 5-0 for the third consecutive season for the first time since 1971-73. Josh Hubbard leads the team with 20.2 points per game. 

While neither Ole Miss nor Mississippi State have faced ranked opponents, they continue to take care of business.