BOISE, Idaho — The new Associated Press NCAA men's Division I basketball media poll has just been released, with one team from the Mountain West making the top 25 and another listed as "receiving votes." My complete ballot is below. First, a breakdown of the big changes in my Tust top 25.
TOP TEAM IN THE NCAA
- No. 1 Houston: This is the third time I’ve had the Cougars at No. 1 on my weekly ballot this season. Yes, the American Athletic Conference is down this season. Their league average NET ranking is 9th-best in the NCAA, which trails every Power 5 conference, along with the Big East, Mountain West and WCC. And still, likely due to a strong non-conference schedule, the Cougars haven’t dropped below No. 2 in the NET rankings all season, and they’ve been in the top spot ever since Dec. 28.
BIGGEST JUMP
- No. 2 Kansas (Up 3): The higher you’re rank in the AP Top 25, the harder it is for you to make a big jump, however, still the Jayhawks wind up on this list. Kansas has won four straight games by an average margin of victory of 14.5 points. Furthermore, the Jayhawks have 13 Quad 1 wins this season. No other team in the county has more than nine.
- No. 11 Gonzaga (Up 4): The Zags have won four straight ever since losing on the road at Saint Mary’s. The WCC regular season title will be on the line when the Gaels visit The Kennel on Saturday.
- No. 13 Miami (Up 3): The Hurricanes have ripped off six consecutive wins and have stormed up the ACC standings. They’re only a half-game back of first-place Virginia, and Miami owns the head-to-head between the two.
BIGGEST DROP
- No. 16 Indiana (Down 3): No team really suffered a significant drop on my ballot this week. The Hoosiers have won nine of their last 11 games, which includes a victory over then-No. 1 ranked Purdue. A narrow loss at Northwestern this past week results in a slight slip in the rankings this week.
ENTERING (OR RE-ENTERING) ‘THE TUST TOP 25”
- No. 23 Northwestern: The Wildcats are only No. 39 in the NET rankings, and No. 42 in KenPom, but still, it’s impossible to ignore their recent five-game winning streak, one that includes three Quad 1 wins. Northwestern is on track to make the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history.
- No. 24 Boise State: The Broncos are 11-3 in the Mountain West, which has the 5th-best league average NET ranking in the country. Boise State is 17-2 when seniors Naje Smith and Marcus Shaver, Jr. are both in the starting lineup this season, and those two losses were each by two points on the road to top five times in the Mountain West.
- No. 25 Texas A&M: The Aggies have won 14 of their last 16 games and are 12-2 in SEC play. With four games left in the regular season, they sit just one game back of first-place Alabama in the SEC standings, and the Crimson Tide are scheduled to visit College Station on March 4.
“THE TUST TOP 25” AP BALLOT
1. Houston (25-2)
2. Kansas (22-5)
3. Alabama (23-4)
4. Purdue (24-4)
5. UCLA (23-4)
6. Virginia (21-4)
7. Arizona (24-4)
8. Texas (21-6)
9. Baylor (20-7)
10. Marquette (21-6)
11. Gonzaga (23-5)
12. Tennessee (20-7)
13. Miami (FL) (22-5)
14. Kansas State (20-7)
15. Saint Mary’s (24-5)
16. Indiana (19-8)
17. Xavier (20-7)
18. San Diego State (21-5)
19. Providence (20-7)
20. Creighton (18-9)
21. UConn (20-7)
22. Iowa State (17-9)
23. Northwestern (20-7)
24. Boise State (21-6)
25. Texas A&M (20-7)
Also in consideration: Maryland, NC State, Pittsburgh, TCU
Watch more Boise State Basketball:
See all of our Boise State basketball coverage in our YouTube playlist: