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Villanova is No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time in school history. Its stay at the summit would likely be short-lived if the Wildcats become DePaul's next upset victim. The Blue Demons, though, have lost 16 in a row to top-ranked teams, a streak the Wildcats can extend in Tuesday night's road matchup with Daniel Ochefu possibly returning. Continue to Article

February 08, 2016 6:21:pm EST

Villanova is No. 1 in The Associated Press college basketball poll for the first time. The Wildcats (20-3) made the jump from third following then-No. 1 Oklahoma's loss to Kansas State and then-No. 2 North Carolina's losses to Louisville and Notre Dame. Villanova received 32 first-place votes Monday from the 65-member national media panel. Continue to Article

February 08, 2016 1:41:pm EST

The next AP Top 25 poll should probably just start at No. 2. In a chaotic, upset-riddled season with lots of good teams but no great ones, it's abundantly clear nobody is worthy of the No. 1 spot. Oklahoma became the latest top-ranked team to fall on Saturday night when the Sooners lost 80-69 on the road at Kansas State. A Wildcats team that had previously won only two conference games scored at will against Oklahoma's defense and benefited from a rare off night from the Sooners' typically torrid shooting backcourt. It's highly likely there will be a new team atop the polls on Monday, but it's difficult to predict who that will be since second-ranked North Carolina also lost earlier this week. One option is third-ranked Villanova, which improved to 18-3 on Saturday by beating No. 11 Providence to avenge its lone Big East loss this season. Another option is fourth-ranked Maryland, which continued its mastery in close games on Saturday by outscoring 18th-ranked Purdue 25-10 during the final six minutes. Big Ten-leading Iowa and Big East contender Xavier also merit consideration. Whichever one of that quartet replaces Oklahoma will become the sixth team to hold the top spot already this season. North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan State and Kansas have also each been No. 1 at some point since mid-November. Oklahoma already retained the No. 1 spot despite a previous loss last month, but the Sooners didn't play nearly well enough on Saturday to inspire such generosity from the voters this time around. They allowed Kansas State to shoot 52.9 percent from the field and get to the foul line 30 times. Twenty-three points from Buddy Hield kept Oklahoma competitive, but the Sooners trailed for the final 13 minutes. Their final push ended when Kansas State forward Dean Wade sank an open jumper to extend the lead to seven with 1:17 to go and then Oklahoma guard Isaiah Cousins lost control of his emotions. After Wesley Iwundu stripped Hield on the ensuing possession, Cousins went for a steal and got called for a foul that he didn't think should have been whistled. He drop-kicked the ball, leading to a technical foul that sent Kansas State to the foul line for four free throws and drained any remaining drama from the game. Oklahoma's loss drops the Sooners into a second-place tie in the Big 12 with Kansas and Texas, one-half game behind first-place West Virginia. The upset also reinforces the one rule this season that has held true from start to finish. In a year with no elite teams, chaos is the only certainty. - - - - - - - Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @JeffEisenberg Continue to Article

February 06, 2016 8:59:pm EST

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Darryl Reynolds had 19 points and 10 rebounds and third-ranked Villanova held off a late rally to defeat No. 11 Providence 72-60 on Saturday. Continue to Article

February 06, 2016 4:59:pm EST

When the few students who attended their game didn't pour onto the court after the final buzzer, DePaul players took matters into their own hands. They climbed into the stands to celebrate with the students after their 77-70 upset of No. 11 Providence on Tuesday night. Such excitement might seem over-the-top for a victory over the Big East's third best team, but any shred of success is celebration-worthy at DePaul. After all, this is a Blue Demons program that is just 38-148 in 11 seasons in the Big East, a product of a threadbare budget, sub-par facilities and an inability to compete with the dozens of other top programs who recruit Chicago for the city's best prospects. Providence's loss was a surprise considering the Friars (18-5, 6-4) have already won at Villanova, Butler and Georgetown this season. The Friars lost because neither of their two marquee players performed up to their usual high standards. Forward Ben Bentil, who was averaging a Big East-best 20.3 points entering Tuesday's game, logged only 14 minutes as a result of a first-half right leg injury. He returned in the second half but finished with only six points, leaving Providence with little interior scoring or rebounding. Point guard Kris Dunn tried to pick up the slack, but the future lottery pick struggled shooting the ball the entire night. Dunn finished with 14 points on 5-for-20 shooting, not nearly enough to save the Friars from an embarrassing defeat. Forward Myke Henry led DePaul with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Providence got as close as within three with 31 seconds to go, but Henry made a layup and then Darrick Wood clinched the DePaul victory with a breakaway dunk. - - - - - - - Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @JeffEisenberg Continue to Article

February 03, 2016 12:29:am EST

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