Purdue, S. Carolina still No. 1

Purdue solidified its No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press men’s basketball poll following UConn’s first loss of the season, while No. 23 Charleston moved into the rankings for the first time in 20 years. The Boilermakers remained No. 1 for the fourth straight week, receiving all but one first-place vote from a 61-person media panel. No. 2 Houston and No. 3 Kansas each moved up a spot, and No. 4 UConn dropped two spots after losing to Xavier, which moved up from No. 22 to No. 18. Arizona rounded out the top five. Purdue lasted only one week after hitting No. 1 for the first time last season, but it has tightened its grip this season since moving to the top spot on Dec. 12. The Boilermakers (13-0, 2-0 Big Ten) dominated Florida A&M, 82-49, last Thursday in its first game in eight days to join No. 21 New Mexico as the nation’s only remaining undefeated Division I teams. UConn (14-1, 3-1 Big East) had been off to its best start since 1998 before losing 83-73 to Xavier, which has won eight straight . . . South Carolina finished 2022 how it started the year: No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll. While the top-ranked Gamecocks cruised to a win in their lone game last week, then-No. 4 Indiana, No. 6 N.C. State and No. 7 Virginia Tech all lost as they scrambled to replace injured players. There were 22 losses by teams in the AP top 10 this season before Jan. 1. That was tied for the most in the past 23 years before January, matching the 2014-15 season, according to ESPN.