AP Poll Week 7: Top five unchanged, St. John’s into top 25

This week’s AP Poll featured the same top five as last week’s. St. John’s joined the rankings for the first time since 2015.

South Carolina unanimously remained number one this week after picking up wins over South Dakota State and Charleston Southern. Stanford, Ohio State, Indiana, and Notre Dame rounded out the top five for the third consecutive week. Notre Dame had the biggest win of the five this week, knocking off sixth-ranked Virginia Tech on Sunday.

The Hokies fell to number eight, behind North Carolina and NC State. UConn picked up a good win over Florida State and remained ninth, with LSU moving to the tenth spot after a win over Oregon State. The Tigers went unbeaten in non-conference play for the first time since the 2002-03 season.

Utah continued to climb the rankings, moving past Iowa to take number 12. Iowa State, Maryland, and Oregon stayed put at 14, 15, and 16, respectively. The Cyclones picked up a ranked win over #25 Villanova, who is now unranked. Maryland recorded a strong victory over UConn.

The biggest jump this week belongs to Arkansas, who moved four spots up to #17 after a win over Creighton. The undefeated Razorbacks face Oregon on Tuesday.

Baylor dropped a week-high six spots to #24 after a loss to Arizona. The Wildcats moved up to #18 after the win. Creighton’s loss to Arkansas dropped them five spots to #21.

St. John’s picked up a key win over Providence this week, which put them at 11-0, tied for the best start in school history. They climbed into the rankings for the first time since 2015, securing the #25 spot in the poll.

The full AP poll

1. South Carolina (11-0) (PREV:1)
2. Stanford (11-1) (PREV: 2)
3. Ohio State (11-0) (PREV: 3)
4. Indiana (11-0) (PREV: 4)
5. Notre Dame (9-1) (PREV: 5)
6. North Carolina (9-1) (PREV: 7)
7. North Carolina State (11-1) (PREV: 8)
8. Virginia Tech (10-1) (PREV: 6)
9. UConn (8-2) (PREV: 9)
10. LSU (12-0) (PREV: 11)
11. UCLA (11-1) (PREV: 10)
12. Utah (10-0) (PREV: 13)
13. Iowa (9-3) (PREV: 12)
14. Iowa State (8-2) (PREV: 14)
15. Maryland (9-3) (PREV: 15)
16. Oregon (9-1) (PREV: 16)
17. Arkansas (13-0) (PREV: 21)
18. Arizona (9-1) (PREV: 20)
19. Michigan (10-1) (PREV: 19)
20. Kansas (10-0) (PREV: 22)
21. Creighton (8-2) (PREV: 16)
22. Gonzaga (10-2) (PREV: 23)
23. Oklahoma (9-1) (PREV: 24)
24. Baylor (8-3) (PREV: 18)
25. St. John’s (11-0) (PREV: unranked)

Other teams receiving votes

Marquette 24, Virginia 21, Louisville 20, Villanova 11, Texas 5, Rice 4, Duke 3, Kansas State 3, Columbia 3, Nebraska 2

Notable ranked matchups this week

#16 Oregon vs #17 Arkansas, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 4 p.m. EST – FloHoops

The Ducks and Razorbacks face off Tuesday at the San Diego Invitational. A battle of high-octane offenses and stingy defenses, both teams average 80+ points per game while allowing less than 60.

#19 Michigan vs #6 North Carolina, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m. EST – ESPN2

Michigan and North Carolina face off in Charlotte at the Jumpman Invitational. These teams match up well and have similar statistical profiles. One area that could be key in this one: Michigan is the third-best free throw shooting team in the country. The Wolverines are shooting 81.3 percent on the year, compared to just 63.9 percent for the Tar Heels.

#21 Creighton at #2 Stanford, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 10 p.m. EST – Pac-12 Bay Area

Creighton travels west to take on the number two team in the nation on Tuesday. The Blue Jays are 3-1 against ranked opponents this year and are certain to rise to the occasion against the Cardinal. Creighton has found success winning the outside shooting battle, but will have its hands full with Stanford’s size inside.