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As expected, the Wildcats’ week of two impressive wins has begun to return them into the good graces of the national press. Just a day after blowing Temple away to win back the Big 5 crown, Villanova (19-6, 8-4 Big East) has risen back up to #12 in the most recent AP rankings.
Once again, the ‘Cats join four other Big East teams in the poll, however, they are now the highest ranked of those five teams as the Pirates had a rough week, losing to both Creighton and Providence. Creighton made the most impressive jump of the quintet, moving up eight spots.
Big East Ranked Teams: #12 Villanova, #15 Creighton, #16 Seton Hall, #19 Marquette, #21 Butler
Looking outside the Big East, the top of the poll largely held still, with Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas, and San Diego State remaining the top four teams in the country. Dayton now joins them in the top 5 after Louisville lost twice in the ACC.
AP Poll (Week of 2/17/20)
| Rank | Team | Rec | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Rec | PTS |
| 1 | Baylor(48) | 23-1 | 1,559 |
| 2 | Gonzaga(14) | 26-1 | 1,518 |
| 3 | Kansas(1) | 22-3 | 1,434 |
| 4 | San Diego State | 26-0 | 1,404 |
| 5 | Dayton | 23-2 | 1,294 |
| 6 | Duke | 22-3 | 1,285 |
| 7 | Maryland | 21-4 | 1,194 |
| 8 | Florida State | 21-4 | 1,088 |
| 9 | Penn State | 20-5 | 1,024 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 20-5 | 1,011 |
| 11 | Louisville | 21-5 | 837 |
| 12 | Villanova | 19-6 | 824 |
| 13 | Auburn | 22-3 | 818 |
| 14 | Oregon | 20-6 | 742 |
| 15 | Creighton | 20-6 | 718 |
| 16 | Seton Hall | 18-7 | 672 |
| 17 | West Virginia | 18-7 | 552 |
| 18 | Colorado | 20-6 | 501 |
| 19 | Marquette | 17-7 | 404 |
| 20 | Iowa | 18-8 | 254 |
| 21 | Butler | 19-7 | 242 |
| 22 | Houston | 20-6 | 237 |
| 23 | BYU | 21-7 | 188 |
| 24 | Arizona | 18-7 | 102 |
| 25 | Ohio State | 17-8 | 95 |