(AP) -- Michigan State, Kansas and Oklahoma are the top three teams for the third straight week in the men's college basketball poll by The Associated Press.
The Spartans have been No. 1 in the poll for four weeks. They were again a runaway choice, receiving all but one first-place vote Monday from the 65-member national media panel.
Kansas drew the other No. 1 vote. Following Oklahoma are Maryland, Virginia, Xavier, North Carolina, Arizona, Butler and Kentucky. The top nine teams remained the same from last week. Kentucky beat Louisville on Saturday and replaced Providence, which dropped to 12th.
No. 25 UCLA is the lone newcomer. The Bruins had been ranked for one week earlier this season. They replaced George Washington, which dropped out from No. 20 following a loss to DePaul.
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 27, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:
Record Pts Prv
1. Michigan St. (64) 13-0 1,623 1
2. Kansas (1) 10-1 1,534 2
3. Oklahoma 11-0 1,498 3
4. Maryland 11-1 1,428 4
5. Virginia 10-1 1,351 5
6. Xavier 12-0 1,296 6
7. North Carolina 10-2 1,219 7
8. Arizona 12-1 1,081 8
9. Butler 10-1 984 9
10. Kentucky 10-2 963 12
11. Iowa St. 10-1 938 11
12. Providence 12-1 923 10
13. Miami 10-1 867 13
14. Purdue 12-1 818 14
15. Duke 9-2 781 15
16. Villanova 9-2 643 17
17. SMU 11-0 636 18
18. Louisville 11-2 516 16
19. West Virginia 10-1 500 19
20. Texas A&M 9-2 371 21
21. Utah 10-2 224 24
22. Cincinnati 10-3 199 22
23. Baylor 9-2 195 23
24. South Carolina 11-0 175 25
25. UCLA 9-4 51 --
Others receiving votes: UConn 49, Oregon 45, Gonzaga 44, Pittsburgh 42, George Washington 40, Dayton 19, Colorado 15, Monmouth (NJ) 11, Northwestern 11, Vanderbilt 10, Iowa 7, Texas Tech 6, Florida 4, Texas 4, Saint Joseph's 2, Mississippi 1, Saint Mary's (Cal) 1.
