SYRACUSE (AP) -- Syracuse is on top of The Associated Press' college basketball poll for a second week and UNLV and Virginia are newcomers to the Top 25.
The Orange (11-0) received 53 first-place votes Monday from the 64-member national media panel. The next six places remained the same from last week: Ohio State, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, Baylor and Duke. Ohio State had five first-place votes, while Kentucky had four and Louisville two.
Connecticut, Missouri and Marquette all move up one place to round out the top 10.
UNLV, out of the poll the last two weeks, and Virginia, which was last in the rankings for one week early in 2007-08, move in, replacing Texas A&M, which was No. 22; Alabama, which was 23rd; and Vanderbilt, which was tied for 25th.
Xavier, which lost 64-42 to Oral Roberts on Sunday to fall from the undefeated ranks, dropped from No. 8 to 14th. The Musketeers played without three starters who were suspended for their part in the brawl against Cincinnati the previous weekend.
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 18, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:
Record - Points - Previous Rank
1. Syracuse (53) 11-0 1,585 1
2. Ohio St. (5) 10-1 1,474 2
3. Kentucky (4) 9-1 1,457 3
4. Louisville (2) 10-0 1,364 4
5. North Carolina 9-2 1,340 5
6. Baylor 9-0 1,271 6
7. Duke 9-1 1,266 7
8. UConn 9-1 1,102 9
9. Missouri 11-0 1,076 10
10. Marquette 10-0 1,021 11
11. Florida 8-2 946 13
12. Kansas 7-2 939 12
13. Wisconsin 10-2 746 14
14. Xavier 8-1 728 8
15. Pittsburgh 10-1 707 15
16. Georgetown 9-1 644 16
17. Indiana 10-0 601 18
18. Mississippi St. 11-1 576 17
19. Michigan St. 9-2 413 21
20. Michigan 9-2 381 20
21. UNLV 11-2 251 -
22. Murray St. 12-0 222 24
23. Creighton 8-1 130 25
24. Virginia 9-1 102 -
25. Illinois 10-1 96 19
Others receiving votes: Harvard 88, San Diego St. 67, Stanford 61, Saint Louis 33, Gonzaga 23, Kansas St. 22, Texas A&M 18, Alabama 8, Wichita St. 8, Cleveland St. 7, N. Iowa 7, California 5, Vanderbilt 5, Northwestern 4, Ohio 3, Long Beach St. 2, Indiana St. 1.
Click here to view the ballots online.
(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
