City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
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For the first time in program history, Villanova is the top-ranked team in the country.

The Wildcats, who beat then-No. 11 Providence on Saturday, and coupled with losses by North Carolina and Oklahoma in the last week, they moved up to No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for the first time ever. Villanova (20-3, 10-1 Big East) is also ranked first in this week’s coaches poll.

Villanova had been ranked as high as No. 2 during four seasons, including last year, but the team had never reached the top spot until Monday. The Wildcats had 1,566 points in the poll and 32 first-place votes, beating out No. 2 Maryland, which checked in with 1,499 points and 13 first-place votes. The full poll, in which six teams got votes for the No. 1 spot, can be found here.

The Wildcats were ranked as low No. 17 this season after December losses to Oklahoma and Virginia, but 12 wins in their last 13 games have them atop the poll in a topsy-turvy season of college basketball. Villanova is the sixth different No. 1 team in just 14 weeks this season, joined by North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Jay Wright’s club also becomes the fourth Big 5 team to be feature as the AP No. 1 and the first one to do it since St. Joe’s was 27-0 and ranked first in the nation in March 2004 as Jameer Nelson and Delonte West led the Hawks.

Temple was the country’s top-ranked team during the 1987-88 season and ended the regular season in the No. 1 spot before falling to Duke in the Elite 8.

The last time La Salle was the nation’s top squad was in the 1954-55 season, and the Explorers made it to the National Championship game that year, falling to San Francisco.