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Villanova drops to No. 10 in AP poll following Creighton loss

The Wildcats dropped five spots after Saturday's 86-70 loss to the Bluejays. It marked their lowest ranking since they were 12th in Week 2 following an overtime loss to Virginia Tech.

Coach Jay Wright of Villanova huddles his team during their game against Marquette on Feb. 10 at the Finneran Pavilion.
Coach Jay Wright of Villanova huddles his team during their game against Marquette on Feb. 10 at the Finneran Pavilion.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer

Villanova fell five spots in the Associated Press top 25 poll announced Monday, dropping to No. 10 following its 86-70 loss at Creighton on Saturday.

The Wildcats (13-3, 8-2 Big East) were 11 points behind No. 9 Oklahoma in the media balloting. It marked their lowest ranking in the poll since Week 2, when they fell to No. 12 following an 81-73 overtime loss to Virginia Tech in the Mohegan Sun bubble.

Villanova had enjoyed a five-week run at the start of 2021 as the nation’s third-ranked team during its season-best nine-game winning streak, but a 70-59 loss to St. John’s on Feb. 3 moved the Cats down to No. 5 in last week’s poll.

The last two Division I unbeatens, Gonzaga and Baylor, continued as the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams for the 13th consecutive week. The Bulldogs won two games last week to improve to 20-0, but the Bears had a pair of contests against ranked opponents, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, postponed over coronavirus concerns.

Big Ten teams Michigan, Ohio State, and Illinois occupied the third, fourth, and fifth spots in the rankings. Houston came in at No. 6 followed by Virginia and Alabama.

Creighton had the biggest jump in the poll, rising from No. 19 to No. 14 after its win over Villanova. Missouri, which lost to Mississippi and Arkansas last week, plunged from 10th to 20th.