Big Eight, Big Ten Are Big Winners in Basketball Poll

The Big Eight had three of the top four teams in the latest college basketball poll released today, but the addition of Purdue to the rankings gave the Big Ten five teams in the Top 25.

Kansas (18-0) remained No. 1 after taking that position last week for the first time in 32 years. The Jayhawks received 46 first-place votes and 1,549 points from the nationwide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters to easily outdistance Georgetown (13-0), which remained No. 2 with 15 first-place votes and 1,517 points.

But Oklahoma and Missouri, like Kansas members of the Big Eight, moved up one place each to third and fourth.

The top three teams are the only remaining unbeaten Division I teams and Kansas will face its toughest test since assuming the top spot as the Jayhawks travel to Missouri this weekend.

Syracuse (12-1), which held the No. 1 ranking for six weeks, moved from sixth to fifth and was followed in the Top Ten by Michigan, Illinois, Duke, Nevada Las Vegas and Louisville.

Michigan and Illinois, both members of the Big Ten, were separated by just 19 points. The Wolverines (11-2) dropped from third last week after losing a Big Ten game to Indiana.

Duke (12-2) handed Georgia Tech its first loss of the season and moved from 10th to eighth. Nevada Las Vegas (10-3) dropped two places after losing to New Mexico State. Louisville (12-2) moved up one place from last week.

Georgia Tech (11-1) led the Second Ten and was followed by Arkansas, Louisiana State, Indiana, St. John’s, UCLA, La Salle, Oregon State, North Carolina State and Xavier, Ohio.

The final five were Loyola Marymount, Minnesota, a Big Ten team which dropped six places after losing two games last week, Arizona, Purdue and Alabama.

Purdue (11-2) joined the rankings after beating Minnesota and Indiana last week. The Boilermakers, voted a second-division team in most preseason conference polls, were not ranked at all last season but they did finish third in the final poll of the 1987-88 season.

Nine ranked teams lost 10 games last week, but only Memphis State (10-4), which was ranked 20th, dropped from the Top 25.

The Big Ten and Big Eight aren’t alone among the major conferences in dominating the rankings.

Five conferences are responsible for 17 of the teams in the Top 25.

THE TOP 25

The top 25 teams in the AP college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses.

1. Kansas (46) 18-0

2. Georgetown (15) 13-0

3. Oklahoma (1) 12-0

4. Missouri (1) 15-1

5. Syracuse 12-1

6. Michigan 11-2

7. Illinois 12-1

8. Duke 12-2

9. Nevada Las Vegas 10-3

10. Louisville 12-2

11. Georgia Tech 11-1

12. Arkansas 12-2

13. LSU 10-2

14. Indiana 12-2

15. St. John’s 14-3

16. UCLA 11-2

17. La Salle 10-1

18. Oregon State 12-2

19. N. Carolina State 12-3

20. Xavier (Ohio) 11-1

21. Loyola Marymount 11-3

22. Minnesota 10-3

23. Arizona 9-3

24. Purdue 11-2

25. Alabama 12-3