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, a new No. 1 team emerges for the second week in a row. Here are five takeaways from the poll.

Duke takes over top spot

After taking down the previously top-ranked Michigan Wolverines, 68-63, on Saturday, the Blue Devils (25-2, 13-1 ACC) move up two spots to the No. 1 ranking, extending the record for any program to 148 appearances atop the poll.

Duke leads the country with 12 Quad 1 wins and has nine wins against AP top-25 opponents. Its 11 wins all-time against AP No. 1 teams are the third-most in the poll's history behind North Carolina (14) and UCLA (12). With the third-best defense in the nation (63.1 PPG) and Naismith Player of the Year contender Cameron Boozer, everyone is currently looking up at Duke as the regular season winds down.

Arizona, Iowa State move up

The Wildcats (25-2, 12-2 Big 12) climb two spots to No. 2 after key wins over then-No. 23 BYU and then-No. 2 Houston, likely clinching a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after taking down the Cougars. That was the second consecutive missed game for freshman sensation Koa Peat (strained leg muscle), but it has not appeared to slow the Wildcats down yet.

The Cyclones (23-4, 10-4 Big 12) move up two spots to No. 4 following a week of mixed results. Iowa State stormed back to defeat Houston (23-4, 11-3 Big 12), 70-67, which drops three spots to No. 5, and lost, 79-69, to then-No. 23 BYU. That loss snapped the program's four-game winning streak against AP-ranked opponents.

Florida, Alabama make big gains

The Gators (21-6, 12-2 SEC) surge five spots to No. 7 after winning their seventh consecutive game in a 94-75 rout over Ole Miss on Saturday. With that performance, Florida became the second SEC team in the last 50 years to score at least 85 points in six straight road games as it continues to look like a title contender once again.

The Crimson Tide (20-7, 10-4 SEC) are this week's biggest mover, up eight spots to No. 17. Alabama has won six in a row and continues to do so with its elite offense, which has scored 90 or more points in 18 games this season. That is the most in all of Division I.

Kansas, Saint Louis plummet

The Jayhawks (20-7, 10-4 Big 12) fall six spots to No. 14 after losing for the second time in three games. That most recent defeat, a shocking 84-68 loss to Cincinnati, was the program's largest home loss to an unranked opponent in the Bill Self era and potentially a sign of another March disappointment.

The Billikens (25-2, 13-1 A-10) have quietly put together an impressive season, but an 81-76 loss to Rhode Island — one that snapped an 18-game winning streak — was a setback. However, Saint Louis only has one other loss this season — a 78-77 defeat at the hands of Stanford on Nov. 28 — so do not expect its most recent loss to hinder its season-long performance.

Miami (Ohio) remains only unbeaten team

Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC) rejoins the poll at No. 22, but the RedHawks (27-0, 14-0 MAC) move up one spot to No. 21 and deserve some respect as the last remaining team without a loss. Miami (Ohio) still has four games left — three of which are on the road — but nothing has seemed to faze it so far.