Five takeaways from AP Top 25 men's basketball poll

In this week's Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll, a new No. 1 team emerges after an upset-filled slate of games. Here are five takeaways from the poll, which was released on Monday.

Arizona overtakes Purdue for top spot

Following Purdue's 81-58 loss to No. 10 Iowa State, which was tied for the largest margin of victory on the road against a top-ranked opponent, Arizona (8-0) jumps to the No. 1 ranking for only the third time since the 2013-14 season as the Boilermakers (8-1) fall to No. 6.

The Wildcats picked up their fourth win over a ranked opponent on Saturday when they routed then-No. 20 Auburn, 97-68, improving their record to an astounding 95-0 since 2018-19 when leading by at least 20 points. Arizona has looked like one of the best teams so far this season, and now is its chance to prove it as the No. 1 team in the nation.

Iowa State moves into the top five after impressive week

While No. 2 Michigan (8-0) and No. 3 Duke (10-0) deservedly moved up one spot each after impressive wins of their own thus far, the Cyclones (9-0), up six spots to No. 4, are right on their heels after handling Purdue on the road.

The rout of Purdue followed a record-setting performance against Alcorn State when the Cyclones set new program marks in points (132) and threes (22). The Cyclones have outscored their opponents by an average of 30 points per game and look like a potential Final Four team.

Gonzaga, Arkansas make big gains

Friday night's 94-59 win over then-No. 18 Kentucky, whose roster is not living up to its $22M price tag, was Gonzaga head coach Mark Few's 750th win as a HC in just his 903rd game. That trails former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp (902) for the second-fewest games to reach that milestone in Division-I history. The Bulldogs (9-1) move up three spots to No. 8 as a result.

The Razorbacks (7-2), up eight spots to No. 17, followed up a 80-71 loss to a fourth-ranked Duke team by picking up a statement win over then-No. 6 Louisville, 89-80. A balanced scoring attack in that win and a third-best fastbreak offense (22.2 PPG) have been key to Arkansas' success in the early going.

Tennessee drops amid three-game losing streak

Following a 75-62 loss to previously-No. 14 Illinois on Saturday, the Volunteers (7-3), down seven spots to No. 20, have lost three consecutive games after leading at the half, which is their longest such streak since 2019-20.

Prior to the loss to Illinois, Tennessee also fell to Kansas, 81-76, and Syracuse, 62-60, which ended a three-game losing streak for the Orange. Offensive woes have been an issue, especially for freshman Nate Ament, who has shot a combined 12-of-47 in Tennessee's last four games against quality opponents. 

Nebraska leads trio of newcomers to poll

The Cornhuskers (9-0) join the rankings at No. 23 with the nation's longest active winning streak (13) dating back to last season. The only time the program started better was in 1977-78 when it was 10-0.

Virginia (8-1) enters the poll at No. 24 riding the hot hand of guard Jacari White, who has hit a program-record 12 consecutive threes. Below the Cavaliers is UCLA at No. 25, which reenters the poll after opening up Big Ten play with a pair of wins over Washington and Oregon.