NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga falls, UNC rises in latest AP Top 25

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 15: Seventh Woods #0 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives against Josh Perkins #13 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on December 15, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 103-90. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

The head-to-head contest between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and UNC Tar Heels had the largest ripple effect in this week’s AP Top 25.

For the first time in several weeks, there haven’t been wholesale changes across the landscape of the AP Top 25.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of points of interest in the Week 7 AP rankings.

After a successful week, including a hard-fought victory over the defending national champions, the Kansas Jayhawks retained their No. 1 ranking, earning 56 first-place votes in the process.

Duke and Tennessee each retained their No. 2 and No. 3 rankings, respectively.

The first change from a week ago comes at No. 4, where the undefeated Michigan Wolverines emerged, continuing their unceasing climb upwards from the start of the year.

The former owner of that No. 4 spot, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, slipped to No. 8 after suffering their second loss in as many weeks.

Only one new team entered the AP Top 25 this week. The Nebraska Cornhuskers joined at No. 25 after destroying Oklahoma State in their only game of the week.

Meanwhile, Villanova, Kansas State, and Syracuse all dropped from the rankings following losses (there was a three-way tie for No. 25 in Week 6, explaining the in/out discrepancy).

This week’s biggest risers were the North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 9), Houston Cougars (No. 21), and Indiana Hoosiers (No. 22), who all moved up three spots.

This week’s biggest faller (within the rankings) was Gonzaga, the only team in the country to drop four spots from a week ago.

Here are three thoughts on the newest version of the AP Top 25.