Oklahoma U. Moves to No. 1 in Basketball

Oklahoma earned its first-ever No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press college basketball poll today, capping a week that saw each of the top three teams lose one game.

The Sooners, 17-2, jumped from fourth to the top spot after victories last week over Colorado and Nevada-Las Vegas and became the third team to be ranked No. 1 this season.

They received 32 of the 66 first-place votes cast by the nationwide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters and finished with 1,273 points to edge Illinois in the balloting.

Illinois, which became No. 1 for the first time in 37 years, held the top spot for just one week as the Fighting Illini lost to Minnesota 69-62 before rebounding for a victory over Indiana.

Illinois, 18-1, moved to No. 2.

North Carolina, 18-3, jumped from seventh to third with four first-place votes and 1,074 points, 19 more than No. 4 Arizona, with 15-2.

Missouri, 18-3, stayed fifth. The Tigers had three first-place votes and 1,048 points.

Georgetown, which fell to 15-2 with the loss to Louisiana State, dropped from second to sixth with 1,019 points and the final first-place vote.

Louisville was seventh with 1,011 points after having its 14-game winning streak snapped and falling to 14-3.

Florida State, 16-1, moved from 11th to eighth with 797 points and Iowa, 15-3, jumped from 12th to ninth with 651 points, 13 more than Seton Hall, 18-2, which rounded out the Top Ten after being ninth last week.