Villanova, Gonzaga, Kansas, Arizona Lead Final AP Poll
Villanova, the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, is No. 1 in the final Associated Press college basketball poll of the season.
The Wildcats (31-3) were a runaway choice Monday, receiving 59 first-place votes from the 65-member media panel.
Gonzaga (32-1), which received the other six first-place votes, and Kansas, two No. 1 seeds for the tournament, were second and third, but the poll and the selection committee disagreed on the fourth No. 1.
Arizona was fourth in the poll, while North Carolina, the fourth No. 1 seed, was ranked fifth.
Kentucky was sixth, followed by Duke, UCLA, Oregon and Louisville.
This was Villanova's eighth week as No. 1 this season. Fifteen teams were ranked the entire season, with Villanova and Kansas the only two who spent the entire season in the top 10.
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' final 2016-17 college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through March 12, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week's ranking:
Record | Pts | Prv | |
---|---|---|---|
1. Villanova (59) | 31-3 | 1619 | 2 |
2. Gonzaga (6) | 32-1 | 1520 | 4 |
3. Kansas | 28-4 | 1478 | 1 |
4. Arizona | 30-4 | 1427 | 7 |
5. North Carolina | 27-7 | 1278 | 6 |
6. Kentucky | 29-5 | 1275 | 8 |
7. Duke | 27-8 | 1250 | 14 |
8. UCLA | 29-4 | 1207 | 3 |
9. Oregon | 29-5 | 1194 | 5 |
10. Louisville | 24-8 | 981 | 10 |
11. SMU | 30-4 | 951 | 12 |
12. Baylor | 25-7 | 877 | 9 |
13. West Virginia | 26-8 | 842 | 11 |
14. Notre Dame | 25-9 | 682 | 22 |
15. Purdue | 25-7 | 652 | 13 |
16. Florida State | 25-8 | 568 | 16 |
17. Iowa State | 23-10 | 560 | 23 |
18. Cincinnati | 29-5 | 520 | 15 |
19. Wichita State | 30-4 | 436 | 20 |
20. Florida | 24-8 | 388 | 17 |
21. Butler | 23-8 | 359 | 18 |
22. Saint Mary's | 28-4 | 304 | 19 |
23. Michigan | 24-11 | 252 | — |
24. Virginia | 22-10 | 238 | 21 |
25. Wisconsin | 25-9 | 151 | 24 |
Others receiving votes: Middle Tennessee 35, Minnesota 20, Rhode Island 13, Creighton 10, Iowa 8, Oklahoma State 8, Nevada 5, Princeton 5, Vermont 4, Virginia Tech 3, Seton Hall 2, Arkansas 1, Northwestern 1, VCU 1.