Vols Stay on Top in Latest Poll - 3rd Straight Week - Payout to Win Title Still Good at 15-2
(AP) - Tennessee had a couple of shaky moments after earning its first No. 1 ranking in 11 years. The Volunteers are sure rolling now. Their odds of winning the Championship pay nicely - 15/2.
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Coming off decisive wins over South Carolina and Texas A&M, Tennessee remained atop The Associated Press men's basketball poll for the third straight week.
The Vols received 48 of 64 first-place votes from a media panel in the poll released Monday. No. 2 Duke had 12 first-place votes and No. 3 Virginia four. Gonzaga and Kentucky rounded out the top 5.
"These guys have worked hard," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said after the Texas A&M game. "They've really become a team. If you could've been in the huddle the last seven minutes, I didn't have to say a word. "
Tennessee (20-1, 8-0 SEC) struggled against Vanderbilt in its first game at No. 1 and got off to a slow start against West Virginia. The Vols stomped on the Gamecocks and Aggies by a combined 39 points to break a century-old school record with their 16th straight win.
Tennessee plays Missouri and Florida this week.
"We have a long way to go," junior forward guard Grant Williams said. "We have a long season ahead of us. It's nice to set that record but we want more. We can't ever settle because if we settle or we start thinking that's all we want, we're going to drop to teams left and right."
While the top four remained the same, the top 10 became jumbled after Michigan and Michigan State lost.
The Wolverines, still undefeated two weeks ago, dropped two spots to No. 7 after losing to Iowa. The Spartans fell three spots to No. 9 following a loss to Indiana, which had lost its previous seven games. Michigan State learned last week that guard Joshua Langford would not return this season because of a knee injury.
No. 5 Kentucky, No. 6 Nevada and No. 8 North Carolina all moved up because of the losses.
AP Top 25 poll
