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St. John's began the season unranked and was picked to finish fifth in the Big East media preseason poll. On Sunday, the Johnnies continued their improbable run, dominating back-to-back national champion UConn in a season sweep of the Huskies to take a commanding three-game lead in the league's regular season race.
A rise in Monday's AP poll is on deck for the Red Storm.
After falling one spot last week, they are once again primed to rise in the top 10 this week. The win -- combined with losses by Texas Tech, Iowa State, Texas A&M and Alabama -- could be enough to get it to No. 6 when the rankings refresh Monday.
That'd be the highest ranking for the team since climbing to No. 8 in 1999.
If it seems like Rick Pitino and his Red Storm are brewing up something that hasn't been done in decades, that's because they are. Not since 1991 has the team been ranked as high as No. 7. And Sunday's win got them one step closer to doing what they haven't done since 1986: winning the Big East outright.
Below is how I project the poll to shake out Monday, with the top three holding steady, Alabama dropping out of the top five and St. John's challenging to move into the top five.
| 1 |  |
| A unanimous No. 1 ranking is in play this week after earning all but one first-place vote last week. Auburn is 25-2 on the season and 13-1 in the SEC after wins this week over Arkansas and Georgia. Last week: No. 1 | |
| 2 |  |
| Duke's dominant display inside MSG on Saturday night might threaten Florida's standing at No. 2 but I suspect voters will keep the Gators where they are. They thumped Oklahoma and LSU by 22 and 14, respectively. Last week: No. 2 | |
| 3 |  |
| A rare mid-February nonconference game served as a major spotlight for Duke as the Blue Devils rolled past Illinois 110-67 inside Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Seven Duke players scored in double figures and Cooper Flagg had 16-7-5 in the blowout. Last week: No. 3 | |
| 4 |  |
| Evidence continues to point toward Houston as the best team -- by a wide margin -- in the top-heavy Big 12. It beat Arizona State and shorthanded Iowa State this week to move to 15-1 in league play and is now 19-1 in its last 20 outings. Last week: No. 5 | |
| 5 |  |
| Chaz Lanier scored 30 points and made a career-high eight 3-pointers in a win on the road over top-10 Texas A&M this weekend. The victory is a huge boost to the Vols' tournament resume and might settle any seeding debates that may arise when the selection committee configures its final bracket next month. Last week: No. 6 | |
| 6 |  |
| St. John's swept UConn in the regular season series with an 89-75 win over the Huskies inside MSG on Sunday. It now leads the Big East by three games and is primed to win the league for the first time since 1986. Last week: No. 10 | |
| 7 |  |
| Alabama snapped its skid after losses to Auburn and Missouri with a 96-point offensive explosion against Kentucky over the weekend. Mark Sears scored 30 points and the team relied on the 3-ball, making 11 from downtown, to shake off its recent funk. Last week: No. 4 | |
| 8 |  |
| With both Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert out of the lineup, Iowa State gave Houston a real fight inside the Fertitta Center before falling 68-59. ISU has been rolling of late thanks to some long overdue continuity, but new injuries could shake up the Cyclones' balance leading into March. Last week: No. 8 | |
| 9 |  |
| A three-point road loss at TCU on Desmond Bane night shouldn't be enough for voters to drop Tech given its season-long resume. They have the second-most Quad 1 wins among Big 12 teams behind Arizona and Houston and are sitting second in the league standings after a crucial bounceback win Saturday over West Virginia. Last week: No. 9 | |
| 10 |  |
| In yet another example of the SEC's strength, Texas A&M, playing like a top-10 team the last month, fell twice in league play this week -- at Mississippi State and home to Tennessee. Its run of three-straight weeks inside the top-10 may be in jeopardy. Last week: No. 7 | |
| 11 |  |
| Rising from the dead like the Undertaker, Michigan State has reeled off three huge wins the last three outings -- over Illinois, Purdue and Michigan -- to retake the lead in the Big Ten. Friday night's win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor might be the difference that decides the league champ. Last week: No. 14 | |
| 12 |  |
| The Badgers' hot streak snapped in a trap game over the weekend, falling 77-73 to Oregon at home in OT. They are 5-1 in their last six games. Last week: No. 11 | |
| 13 |  |
| A 110-98 home win over Alabama this week will likely overshadow for voters the surprising late-night road loss to Arkansas on Saturday. Missouri has five wins over ranked opponents -- three of which were against top-four teams. Last week: No. 15 | |
| 14 |  |
| A surprising 75-62 home loss on Friday to rival Michigan State snapped Michigan's winning streak at six games and positioned them in second place in the Big Ten standings. They are a half-game back of Michigan State. Last week: No. 12 | |
| 15 |  |
| With Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler still nursing injuries, Kentucky managed to go 1-1 this week with a decisive win over Vanderbilt and a decisive loss at Alabama. The Wildcats' injury luck has been persistent all season and seems destined to linger into the stretch run of the season. Last week: No. 17 | |
| 16 |  |
| Clemson in its lone outing this week made a statement over the weekend, defeating SMU 79-69. It should be on the rise this week after the win, which is its 10th in the last 11 games. Last week: No. 18 | |
| 17 |  |
| Purdue dropped its fourth consecutive game on Sunday in a 73-58 loss at Indiana. The Boilermakers are officially in freefall going from the Big Ten lead to out of the race entirely in a span of two weeks. Last week: No. 13 | |
| 18 |  |
| Eight wins in the last nine games has Maryland primed to jump to its highest showing in the AP poll this season. The Terps appeared at No. 18 in Week 14, and a blowout home win over USC this week might get them at or above that mark. Last week: No. 20 | |
| 19 |  |
| After a statement win at home over a top-10 Texas A&M team, Mississippi State fell in a close one at Oklahoma -- a team that had lost five-straight. Last week: No. 21 | |
| 20 |  |
| Villanova walloped Marquette in Philly on Friday in an outcome that might effectively kill Marquette's chances at a Big East title. Golden Eagles are 2-4 in the month of February. Last week: No. 16 | |
| 21 |  |
| A controversial finish in Tucson on Saturday night ended with BYU completing an upset of Arizona, 96-95, in the desert. That's three losses in the last four outings for the Wildcats. Last week: No. 19 | |
| 22 |  |
| Fifteen wins in the last 16 games has Louisville (21-6) tied for second in the ACC just one game off of Duke's pace. The Cardinals should be moving up this week after appearing back in the poll at No. 25 last week. Last week: No. 25 | |
| 23 |  |
| Saint Mary's made a statement over the weekend with a 74-67 win at Gonzaga inside the Kennel. At 15-1 in WCC play, Randy Bennett's Gaels have clinched the regular season conference title for a second consecutive season. Last week: NR | |
| 24 |  |
| A big week for BYU began with a 34-point beatdown of preseason No. 1 Kansas and finished with a one-point win on the road over Arizona. The Cougars have won four straight. Last week: NR | |
| 25 |  |
| Memphis recovered from last week's tough overtime road loss to Wichita State lwith an important home win over Florida Atlantic on Sunday to improve to 12-2 in AAC play. Last week: No. 22 | |
Projected to drop out: Creighton
