Five takeaways from AP Top 25 men's basketball poll

This week's Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll features several notable changes after a jam-packed Holiday slate. Here are five takeaways from the poll, which was released on Monday.

Michigan surges into top three after impressive week

After wins over San Diego State, then-No. 21 Auburn and No. 12 Gonzaga by a combined 110 points, the Wolverines (7-0), up four spots to No. 3, cruised to the Players Era Championship and now have the most Quad 1 wins (three) in the country.

Michigan is also first in the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings and has been led by senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg (16 PPG, 7.6 RPG). It is still early in the season, but you can make the case that Michigan has looked like the best team in the country so far.

Duke stays put as Cameron Boozer continues to make history

The Blue Devils (8-0) remain at No. 4 in the latest poll, but freshman Cameron Boozer has made his presence felt so far. Coming off a 35-point performance in a 80-71 win over then-No. 22 Arkansas on Thanksgiving, Boozer became the first Duke player over the last 45 years with multiple 35-point games on 70% shooting.

For comparison, JJ Redick and Jay Williams accomplished the same feat when they were at Duke and it took them 99 and 83 games, respectively, to get there. Boozer has had a strong start to his freshman season, but with upcoming games against No. 15 Florida (Tuesday), No. 7 Michigan State (Saturday) and No. 19 Texas Tech (Dec. 20), a tough conclusion to nonconference play awaits.

Michigan State, Vanderbilt move up

The Spartans (7-0), up four spots to No. 7, are tied with Arizona for the most wins (three) against AP-ranked opponents this season and are off to their first undefeated start through seven games since they started 13-0 in 2015-16.

The Commodores (8-0) climb seven spots to No. 17 after winning the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship. Vanderbilt is scoring the second-most points per game (97.9 PPG) and is off to its best start since 2007-08.

Houston, St. John's plummet

The Cougars (7-1) fall five spots to No. 8 after a 76-73 loss to then-No. 17 Tennessee in the Players Era Festival. While freshman guard Kingston Flemings had a team-high 25 points (10-of-15 FG), Houston was unable to find any answer for Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Tennessee.

The Red Storm (4-3) drop nine spots to No. 23 after a lackluster showing in the Players Era. Defensive issues continue to plague St. John's, which gave up 83 points to then-No. 15 Iowa State and 85 points to a 21st-ranked Auburn team, giving the program eight consecutive losses to ranked nonconference opponents.

Kansas, USC join the rankings

The Jayhawks (6-2) make a return to the poll at No. 21 after picking up their first win over a ranked opponent this season in the win over Tennessee. Kansas is the only team in Division-I that has yet to allow an opposing team to shoot 30% from long-range.

The Trojans (7-0) debut at No. 24 after defeating former Pac-12 rival Arizona State, 88-75, to win the program's first Maui Invitational title. Auburn transfer Chad Baker-Mazara was key in the win with 23 points (9-of-16 FG) as USC is off to its best start to a season since it won 13 straight to begin the 2021-22 campaign.