Tennessee was picked to finish 13th in the SEC in last season's preseason poll. Since that day, the Vols have been consistently proving people wrong -- first by winning a share of the league title last season, most recently by defeating Gonzaga on Sunday in a back-and-forth affair that launched the Vols to No. 2 in Monday morning's updated Top 25 And 1.
The only team now ranked ahead of UT is Kansas -- which is also the only team that's beaten UT. So the undefeated Jayhawks are No. 1, the Tennessee team that's lost to Kansas but beaten Gonzaga is No. 2, the Gonzaga team that's lost to Tennessee but beaten Duke is No. 3, and the Duke team that's won every game save last month's game with Gonzaga is No. 4. (The Blue Devils were pushed down one spot Monday morning by Tennessee's jump from No. 4 to No. 2, no fault of their own.) Undefeated Nevada, undefeated Virginia, undefeated Michigan and a one-loss Auburn team whose only loss is a single-digit loss to Duke are ranked fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, and I really do think these are the eight schools that should be the top eight, in some order, on every AP ballot. They won't be, of course, because some AP voters submit nonsensical ballots each week. But they should be.
Purdue and Arizona are out of the Top 25 And 1 after Sunday's losses to unranked Texas and unranked Alabama. They've been replaced by Indiana and Marquette -- both of which won big games Saturday. Indiana beat Louisville 68-67. Marquette beat Wisconsin 74-69 in OT.
Monday's Top 25 And 1
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Dedric Lawson scored KU's final 14 points in Saturday's win over New Mexico State. The Memphis transfer is averaging a team-high 19.1 points and 10.6 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per game. | -- | 23-11 |
| 2 |  | Admiral Schofield finished with 30 points and six rebounds in Sunday's win over Gonzaga. The Vols' lone loss is a neutral-court loss in overtime to Kansas. | 2 | 27-9 |
| 3 |  | The Zags' resume features wins over Duke, Arizona, Creighton and Washington. Their lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Tennessee. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 4 |  | RJ Barrett finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Saturday's win over Yale. He's the first Duke freshman in history to ever have at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in a game. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 5 |  | Nevada is off to its best start since it became a Division I program in 1969. Caleb Martin is averaging a team-high 18.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 33.1 minutes per game. | -- | 26-8 |
| 6 |  | The Cavaliers only allowed VCU to shoot 29.5 percent from the field in Sunday's win over the Rams. Kyle Guy led Virginia with 15 points and six rebounds. | -- | 23-11 |
| 7 |  | Jordan Poole scored a career-high 26 points in Saturday's win over South Carolina. The Wolverines' resume features four wins over top-75 KenPom teams. | -- | 8-24 |
| 8 |  | The Tigers' lone loss is a single-digit loss on a neutral court to Duke. Auburn's eight wins have come by an average of 28.4 points. | -- | 27-8 |
| 9 |  | The Spartans missed 11 of their 15 3-point attempts Saturday but still got a win at Florida. Michigan State has won eight of its past nine games since that season-opening loss to Kansas. | -- | 20-15 |
| 10 |  | The Tar Heels handled UNC-Wilmington easily on Wednesday despite Coby White missing the game with a sore ankle. Nassir Little finished with 14 points and five rebounds off the bench. | -- | 29-8 |
| 11 |  | The Red Raiders are 8-0 for the first time since the 2009-2010 season. Jarrett Culver is averaging a team-high 18.3 points, a team-high 5.5 rebounds and a team-high 4.5 assists. | -- | 23-11 |
| 12 |  | The Seminoles' resume features three wins over top-55 KenPom teams. Terance Mann is averaging a team-high 12.1 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game. | -- | 17-16 |
| 13 |  | Nickeil Alexander-Walker has scored in double-figures in all nine contests this season. He's averaging 17.7 points in 32.6 minutes per game. | -- | 19-15 |
| 14 |  | Keyshawn Woods got 18 points off the bench in Wednesday's win over Illinois in Chicago. The Buckeyes are 2-0 in the Big Ten for the second consecutive season. | -- | 22-14 |
| 15 |  | The Badgers' resume features four wins over top-60 KenPom teams - among them victories over Iowa and Oklahoma. Ethan Happ is leading Wisconsin in points (19.3), rebounds (10.8) and assists (4.9). | 1 | 22-14 |
| 16 |  | The Terrapins' two losses are both to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1 - specifically Virginia and Purdue. Bruno Fernando is averaging 14.0 points and 9.8 rebounds in 26.9 minutes per game. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 17 |  | The Sun Devils' lone loss is a neutral-court loss by single-digits to Nevada. Arizona State's next two games are road games at Georgia and at Vanderbilt. | 1 | 14-18 |
| 18 |  | The Bulldogs' lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Arizona State. Quinndary Weatherspoon is averaging a team-high 16.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in 31.8 minutes per game. | 1 | 21-14 |
| 19 |  | Tyler Cook finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday's win over Iowa State. The Hawkeyes' two losses are both to teams ranked above them -- specifically Michigan State and Wisconsin. | 1 | 19-15 |
| 20 |  | The Bulls are off to their best start since the 1930-31 season. Four of their next five games will be true-road games - among them contests at Syracuse and at Marquette. | 1 | 4-27 |
| 21 |  | The Cougars' resume features wins at BYU and at Oklahoma State. Houston will take a 21-game winning streak at home into Wednesday's game with LSU. | 1 | 32-5 |
| 22 |  | The Sooners allowed Wichita State to only shoot 24.2 percent from the field in Saturday's 32-point win over the Shockers. Oklahoma's lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Wisconsin. | 1 | 20-12 |
| 23 |  | The Bearcats' lone loss is a season-opening loss to an Ohio State team ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1. Next up is Saturday's game at Mississippi State. | 1 | 22-15 |
| 24 |  | The Huskers' resume features three wins over top-60 KenPom teams. They own a 23-point win over the Seton Hall team that beat Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 25 |  | The Hoosiers' resume features four wins over top-50 KenPom teams. Romeo Langford is averaging a team-high 18.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in 33.1 minutes per game. | NR | 19-14 |
| 26 |  | The Golden Eagles own wins over Wisconsin, Kansas State and Louisville. Both of their losses are to schools ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1 - specifically Kansas and Indiana. | NR | 27-10 |
IN: Indiana, Marquette
OUT: Purdue, Arizona
