Written by Jim O’Connell at NCAA.com
Villanova joined an exclusive club Monday. The Wildcats are now among the 57 schools to have been ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press college basketball poll.
The Wildcats had been ranked No. 2 seven times — last time the final poll of last season — but had never made that one step up.
There are eight schools to have held the top spot for one — and only one — week. The most recent was Tennessee in 2007-08 and Wisconsin the year before.
UCLA is the all-time leader with 134 weeks at the top — the last in 2006-07 — and Duke is next at 127, the last in 2012-13.
The only other schools to have spent over 100 weeks at the top are Kentucky (115) and North Carolina (113).
As far as the most weeks spent at No. 2 without reaching No. 1 is this week’s No. 2, Maryland. The Terrapins are in the runner-up spot for the 26th time. The only other school in double figures is Purdue at 10 weeks. Dayton and Saint Bonaventure, both at seven weeks, were the only other schools above Villanova on the list.
WHO’S No. 1: Villanova becomes the sixth school to hold the No. 1 spot this season, just one off the record.
North Carolina and Kentucky were both No. 1 for two weeks. Michigan State held it for three, Kansas two and Oklahoma three.
There were seven teams ranked No. 1 in 1982-83: Houston, Indiana, Memphis, UNLV, North Carolina, UCLA, Virginia.
There have been six No. 1s in five other seasons, the last in 2008-09: North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Duke, Connecticut, Louisville.
NEW GUY: Texas moves in at No. 24, the Longhorns’ first ranking since last season. They were ranked for the first 13 weeks of 2014-15, reaching as high as sixth. This is their first ranking under first-year coach Shaka Smart. Texas (16-7) comes in on a four-game winning streak and the Longhorns have won seven of eight with the only loss at Kansas.
Southern California (18-5) rejoins the poll after being out two weeks. The Trojans return on a three-game winning streak and they have won six of eight, the losses on the same weekend to Oregon and Oregon State. Southern Cal had last been ranked in 2008-09.
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