New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Arizona remained the top team in the latest Associated Press men's college basketball poll.
The Wildcats kept a firm hold of the top spot for a third straight week with 63 first-place votes and 1,623 points from a nationwide media panel.
Syracuse, which picked up the remaining two No. 1 tallies, is again second, followed by Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Louisville, Oklahoma State, Villanova, Duke and Wichita State. Villanova and Duke had been tied for eighth last week and Wichita State moved up a spot into the top 10 with its 12-0 start the best in school history.
The second 10 consists of Baylor, Oregon, Florida, Iowa State, Connecticut, Kansas, Memphis, Kentucky, North Carolina and San Diego State. UConn dropped five places from 10th after a two-point loss to Stanford last week, while North Carolina also tumbled five spots from 14th following a loss to Texas.
Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, Gonzaga and Missouri are the last five teams ranked. UMass dipped just one spot from 22nd after Saturday's loss to Florida State.
There are no newcomers this week.
A light schedule this week because of the Christmas holiday does include a couple of ranked matchups on Saturday. Former Big East rivals collide when Syracuse hosts Villanova in a battle of unbeatens, while Bluegrass bragging rights are at stake when Kentucky hosts Louisville.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.