Jan 5, 2009 10:23 am US/Pacific
Pitt Claims Top Spot, UCLA Climbs Higher In Top 25
(AP)
Thanks to a convincing road win and a stunning upset in Chapel Hill, Pittsburgh is atop the college basketball rankings for the first time in school history.
The Panthers were installed as the new No. 1 team in the latest USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll, which was released Monday.
It marks the first time in school history that Pittsburgh (14-0) has been ranked first. The Panthers have held the No. 2 spot 14 different times.
Two days after routing then-No. 8 Georgetown in Washington D.C., Pittsburgh received 30 of a possible 31 first-place votes from a panel of Division I coaches.
Aside from their 70-54 blowout of the Hoyas, the Panthers also capitalized on North Carolina's first loss of the season. The Tar Heels fell to third in Monday's poll, less than 24 hours after being stunned, 85-78, at home by Boston College on Sunday night.
Duke (12-1) climbed three spots to second, followed by North Carolina (13-1), which received the final first-place vote. Undefeated Wake Forest (13-0) and Connecticut (12-1), which lost to Georgetown seven days ago, rounded out the top five.
Oklahoma (13-1) is sixth while Texas (11-2) and UCLA (12-2) are tied for seventh. Syracuse (14-1) and Georgetown (10-2) are ninth and 10th, respectively.
Clemson (14-0) jumped five spots to No. 11, followed by Michigan State (11-2), Notre Dame (10-3), Purdue (11-3) and Marquette (13-2), which climbed 10 spots.
Arizona State (12-2) is 16th, followed by Villanova (12-2), Xavier (11-2), Minnesota (13-1) and Butler (12-1), which is new to the poll.
Big East Conference schools Louisville (9-3) and West Virginia (11-2), also new to the poll, are ranked 21st and 22nd, respectively.
Baylor (12-2) is 23rd, followed by Boston College (13-2) - also new to the rankings - and Tennessee (9-3), which fell seven spots to 25th.
Gonzaga, Ohio State and Michigan all fell from the rankings.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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