Michigan State still leads AP poll, but Providence cracks the top 10

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Monday, December 21, 2015

Michigan State, Kansas and Oklahoma held the top three spots in The Associated Press' college basketball poll for a second straight week. There was a shakeup in the rest of the top 10 after a weekend of upsets.

The Spartans (12-0) were a near-unanimous choice, receiving all but one first-place vote from the 65-member national media panel. Kansas (9-1) got the other No. 1 vote.

Following Oklahoma were Maryland, Virginia, Xavier, North Carolina, Arizona, Butler and Providence, which is in the top 10 for the first time since Jan. 17, 1978. Those Friars were ranked ninth, led in scoring by Bruce Campbell and coached by Basketball Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt.

Utah, which returned to the rankings following its win over Duke on Saturday, and South Carolina, which is ranked for the first time since the final poll of 2003-04, are the week's newcomers at 24th and 25th. They replace UCLA and UConn.

UCLA dropped out of the poll after one week following its loss to North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic. The Bruins were No. 22. UConn dropped out from 25th, but the Huskies won their only game last week, over UMass Lowell.

Duke's loss to Utah in overtime cost it a spot in the top 10 for the first time since February 2014. But the streak of consecutive polls continues for the 15th-ranked Blue Devils. They have been in 162 consecutive polls, a streak that began with the preseason poll of 2007-08.

Only Kansas, at 130, has a current streak of more than 100 weeks. Arizona is third at 66 consecutive polls.

This is Michigan State's 10th week all time as the No. 1 team. If the Spartans can hold it next week, they will move into the top 25 teams to have been ranked on top of the poll.

Houston was ranked No. 1 for 11 weeks from 1968 to 1983, making the Cougars 25th on the all-time list. UCLA is No. 1 among the No. 1s at 134 weeks from 1964 to 2007.

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