AP college basketball poll released for Week 18 – March 4, 2013

Gamedayr | March 4, 2013 at 2:48 pm | 1 Comment

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Kelly Olynyk leads a chant before a game against the Portland Pilots at the McCarthey Athletic Center. (James Snook-USA TODAY Sports)

The AP top 25 college basketball rankings for Week 18 have been released.

Following unexpected losses by several of the nation’s top teams, an unexpected contender has reached the top of the mountain. For the very first time in school history, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have taken hold of the nation’s top spot as March Madness approaches.

Indiana was upset in a big way in The Barn at Minnesota, but recovered to beat-down Iowa on Saturday to lay claim to the No. 2-overall ranking.

No. 3 Duke, thanks to the return of star senior Ryan Kelly, took care of business in a big way in a thrilling home-win over Miami. They are followed by Kansas at No. 4 and the red-hot Georgetown Hoyas, winners of 11-straight, at No. 5.

Wisconsin slipped from No. 17 down to No. 22 after falling flat to Purdue at home on Senior Day. Butler beat Indiana early in the year, but fell out of the rankings altogether after being blown away by VCU in a rematch of their 2011 Final Four clash. For their efforts, VCU returned to the top 25, at No. 21.

Following is the complete top 25 (via ESPN):

RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Gonzaga (51)	29-2	1,607
2	Indiana (7)	25-4	1,517
3	Duke (5)	25-4	1,471
4	Kansas	25-4	1,433
5	Georgetown (2)	23-4	1,384
6	Miami (FL)	23-5	1,245
7	Michigan	24-5	1,240
8	Louisville	24-5	1,217
9	Kansas State	24-5	1,040
10	Michigan State	22-7	1,006
11	Florida	23-5	993
12	New Mexico	25-4	950
13	Oklahoma State	22-6	833
14	Ohio State	21-7	763
15	Marquette	21-7	687
16	Saint Louis	23-5	675
17	Syracuse	22-7	589
18	Arizona	23-6	394
19	Oregon	23-6	332
20	Pittsburgh	23-7	326
21	Virginia Commonwealth	23-6	277
22	Wisconsin	20-9	217
23	UCLA	22-7	196
24	Notre Dame	22-7	164
25	Memphis	25-4	149

Others receiving votes: North Carolina 109, Louisiana Tech 103, Saint Mary’s 47, UNLV 43, California 33, Butler 26, Illinois 25, Minnesota 10, Creighton 7, Middle Tennessee 5, Akron 4, Missouri 4, Belmont 3, Colorado State 1