MSU moves up to No. 10 in AP Top 25; UM still unranked

The Michigan State men’s basketball team is leaving a brief losing streak behind it, and making its way back up the national rankings.

The Spartans (19-4) moved up two spots to No. 10 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25, on the strength of a pair of lopsided victories last week that pushed their winning streak to three games after enduring a three-game slide.

Michigan (17-5), despite a four-game winning streak of its own, remains outside the Top 25, though the Wolverines collected 21 points.

Michigan State is at Michigan on Saturday.

Michigan State notched victories over Northwestern and Rutgers last week by an average of 32.5 points to help it move up from No. 12.

For the first time in more than eight years, Duke is not in the AP Top 25.

The Blue Devils are 15-6 and have lost four of five, including two home games. They had been in every men’s poll since the preseason rankings of 2007-08. The record run is UCLA’s 221 straight polls from 1966-80.

Oklahoma is 18-2 and is No. 1 for the third straight week, receiving 45 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel on Monday. North Carolina is 19-2 and stays second, with 20 No. 1 votes.

Villanova jumps three places to third and is followed in the top 10 by Maryland, Iowa, Xavier, Kansas, Texas A&M, Virginia and Michigan State.

ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25

1. Oklahoma (45 first-place votes), 18-2, 1,605 points (No. 1 last week)

2. North Carolina (20), 19-2, 1,578 (2)

3. Villanova, 18-3, 1,384 (6)

4. Maryland, 19-3, 1,366 (8)

5. Iowa, 17-4, 1,362 (3)

6. Xavier, 19-2, 1,344 (7)

7. Kansas, 17-4, 1,233 (4)

8. Texas A&M, 18-3, 1,169 (5)

9. Virginia, 17-4, 1,086 (11)

10. Michigan State, 19-4, 1,018 (12)

11. Providence, 18-4, 900 (10)

12. SMU, 19-1, 853 (13)

13. Iowa State, 16-5, 851 (14)

14. West Virginia, 17-4, 814 (9)

15. Baylor, 17-4, 728 (17)

16. Oregon, 18-4, 551 (23)

17. Miami, 16-4, 537 (15)

18. Purdue, 19-4, 511 (21)

19. Louisville, 17-4, 478 (16)

20. Kentucky, 16-5, 429 (20)

21. Wichita State, 16-5, 323 (22)

22. Indiana, 18-4, 270 (19)

23. Arizona, 17-5, 245 (18)

24. Dayton, 18-3, 168 (NR)

25. South Carolina, 19-2, 87 (NR)

Others receiving votes: Saint Mary’s (Cal) 63, Southern Cal 40, Utah 33, VCU 33, Michigan 21, Notre Dame 21, Valparaiso 7, Duke 6, Pittsburgh 4, Florida 3, Saint Joseph’s 1, San Diego State 1, Stony Brook 1, Texas 1.