After Gonzaga’s loss, Kansas back at No. 1

Kansas is back where it started the season.

The preseason No. 1 Jayhawks are again the topranked team in The Associated Press Top 25 despite struggling to get past New Mexico State at home. Kansas received 57 first-place votes from a 65-person media panel in the poll released Monday, sliding into the top spot after previous No. 1 Gonzaga lost to Tennessee.

No. 2 Duke moved up a spot and received four first-place votes. No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Gonzaga, No. 5 Michigan and No. 6 Virginia received the other first-place votes.

No. 7 Nevada, Auburn, Michigan State and Florida State rounded out the top 10.

The Jayhawks were the preseason No. 1, but dropped a spot after Duke decimated then-No. 2 Kentucky to open the season.

Gonzaga moved to No. 1 after beating Duke in the Maui Invitational title game, lasting two weeks before losing 76-73 to the Volunteers on Sunday in Phoenix.

Women’s poll

A win over Oregon vaulted Michigan State into the women’s AP Top 25.

The Spartans entered the poll at No. 23 on Monday, a day after upsetting the then-third ranked Ducks 88-82. Michigan State (8-1) only had three votes from the 31-member national media panel last week. It’s the first ranking for Michigan State in two years.

The win was the Spartans’ first over a top-three opponent since April 3, 2005, when they defeated No. 3 Tennessee, 68-64 in the Final Four.

The Ducks fell to seventh after suffering their first loss of the season.

No. 11 Stanford and No. 13 Cal maintained their positions.