Five takeaways from AP Top 25 men's basketball poll

In this week's Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll, released on Monday, two teams join the top five after a dramatic week of action. Here are five takeaways from the poll.

Houston, Iowa State shake up top five

The Cougars (21-2, 9-1 Big 12) move up five spots to No. 3, riding a four-game winning streak, including Saturday's 77-66 triumph over then-No. 16 BYU. Houston has held a team to its lowest point total of the season seven times, which only trails Michigan State (11) and Duke (8) for the most in the nation.

The Cyclones (21-2, 8-2 Big 12) are not far behind their conference foes after rising two spots to No. 5. Since Iowa State suffered its first two losses of the season, it has won its last five games and is only two games back of No. 1 Arizona and one back of Houston in the Big 12 standings. 

UConn, Illinois slide

The Huskies (22-2, 12-1 Big East) drop three spots to No. 6 following Friday's 81-72 loss to then-No. 22 St. John's, which ended their 18-game winning streak and the third-longest in program history. UConn allowed 50% shooting and committed 15 turnovers in the loss, two areas that must be corrected.

The Fighting Illini (20-4, 11-2 Big Ten) fall three spots to No. 8 after an overtime loss to No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday night, a team that desperately needed a big win after going through a rough stretch. Star freshman Keaton Wagler was held to just 16 points (2-of-16 FG), his worst shooting percentage (12.5%) in a game this season.

North Carolina, St. John's climb after statement victories

The Tar Heels (19-4, 7-3 ACC), up three spots to No. 11, completed their largest comeback (13) over Duke in at least 25 seasons and only led for 0.4 seconds after senior guard Seth Trimble's game-winning triple helped them take down the fourth-ranked Blue Devils in another classic between the two rivals.

One of the biggest risers in the poll is No. 17 St. John's (18-5, 11-1 Big East), which moves up five spots after the upset win over UConn. The victory was surprisingly head coach Rick Pitino's first over an AP top-10 opponent since he took over the program in 2023-24.

Gonzaga, Vanderbilt drop

While the Bulldogs (23-2, 11-1 WCC) finished the week with a commanding 81-61 win over Oregon State on Saturday, a game in which senior forward Graham Ike matched his career-high with 35 points, they fell six spots to No. 12 after a shocking 87-80 loss to Portland earlier in the week.

The Commodores (19-4, 6-4 SEC) drop four spots to No. 19 following their fourth loss in their last seven contests after a 16-0 start. On a positive note, sophomore guard Tyler Tanner had 37 points in the loss to Oklahoma on Saturday, which were the most by a Vanderbilt player since Saben Lee in 2020.

Kentucky returns to the poll

After a challenging first half of the season and a lack of competitiveness that turned much of "Big Blue Nation" against its team, the Wildcats (17-7, 8-3 SEC) re-enter the rankings at No. 25.

Saturday's 74-71 win over then-No. 25 Tennessee was Kentucky's third comeback of at least 14 points this season, two of which have come against the Volunteers. Getting off to better starts would be ideal, but you cannot discredit the fight in this team that has completely turned its season around.