New York, NY (Sports.com) — Syracuse is the new top-ranked team in men’s college basketball, taking over the No. 1 spot in the latest Associated Press poll after Arizona’s loss to California on Saturday.
Arizona and Syracuse had been 1-2 in the poll for eight straight weeks and both nearly suffered losses on Saturday, as the Orange squeezed by Duke in an overtime thriller at the Carrier Dome.
The Orange are a unanimous top choice, earning all 65 first-place votes and a total of 1,625 points from a nationwide media panel. Syracuse, which earned a 91-89 win against Duke for the best start in school history at 21-0, was last No. 1 for six weeks during the 2011-12 season.
Arizona, after the 60-58 setback in Berkeley, dropped only to No 2. Florida, unbeaten Wichita State and San Diego State remained third through fifth.
Villanova, Cincinnati, Kansas, Michigan State and Michigan round out the top 10.