Villanova sits No. 1 in AP hoops poll for first time

Villanova is No. 1 in The Associated Press college basketball poll for the first time.

The Wildcats (20-3) made the jump from third following then-No. 1 Oklahoma’s loss to Kansas State and then-No. 2 North Carolina’s losses to Louisville and Notre Dame.

Villanova received 32 first-place votes Monday from the 65-member national media panel. Maryland, which received 13 No. 1 votes, moved up two spots to second.

Oklahoma, which had been No. 1 for the last three weeks, dropped to third and received seven first-place votes.

Iowa, which got 11 first-place votes, is fourth and is followed in the top 10 by Xavier, Kansas, Virginia, Michigan State, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Kansas and Virginia both received one first-place vote. No. 23 Southern Cal and No. 24 Texas are the week’s two newcomers, replacing Indiana and South Carolina.