VILLANOVA, PA - JANUARY 13: Ryan Arcidiacono #15 of the Villanova Wildcats drives past Traci Carter #21 of the Marquette Golden Eagles on January 13, 2016 at the Pavilion in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
On Saturday, top ranked Oklahoma lost last week at Kansas State and second-ranked North Carolina lost to Notre Dame. Those games allowed the Villaova Wildcats to claim the top spot in the AP Poll for the first time in its history and the 57th team to ever be ranked number 1. “There’s still a lot of basketball left to be played and handling this will be another challenge for our team,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “We look forward to it.”
The Wildcats won against Creighton and on the road against Providence this week to finally make the jump into the top slot. Nova has been ranked second in the county seven times, with the most recent coming in last year’s final AP poll behind national champions Duke.
Villanova is led by junior guard Josh Hart, who averages 15.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, and senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono, who averages 12.5 points and 4 assists per game.
Villanova will look to avoid becoming the sixth top ranked team to lose its ranking when it travels to Chicago to face DePaul and comes back hom to face off with
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.
Minnesota Vikings defender Jamal Adams will miss the entirety of the 2026 season after suffering…
Golden State Warriors rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg wasted little time establishing his competitive edge, throwing…
Future Hall of Fame pass rusher Von Miller is heading home. The Dallas Cowboys announced…
St. Louis Cardinals rookie outfielder Joshua Báez etched his name into the MLB record books…
Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. has been suspended for the first eight games…
The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their 2026 preseason with a convincing 28-9 victory over the Green…