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After a slow week of games because of the holidays and COVID cancellations and postponements, everyone in last week’s top 10 remained in the top 10 this week.
The biggest shift was Houston moving up from nine to three. The Cougars won at Temple 66-61 in their American Athletic Conference opener. Houston was scheduled to host Cincinnati last Tuesday but the game was postponed due to health and safety protocols within the Houston program.
Grand Canyon is the lone team to join the ranking this week and entered tied for 21st with VCU. The Lopes defeated Chicago State 80-63 in their WAC opener. They have won three straight, including a 49-48 victory over San Francisco on Dec. 18.
St. Bonaventure suffered the biggest drop, falling from 19 to 25. The Bonnies lost the last two games they played, falling to UConn and Virginia Tech. Their games against Northeastern, George Washington and Dayton were either canceled or postponed.
The Other Top 25: Jan. 3, 2022
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Points | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Points | Previous |
| 1 | Gonzaga (3) | 75 | 1 |
| 2 | Colorado State | 71 | 2 |
| 3 | Houston | 69 | 9 |
| T-4 | San Francisco | 63 | 4 |
| T-4 | Loyola Chicago | 63 | 3 |
| 6 | BYU | 59 | 5 |
| 7 | Iona | 54 | 6 |
| 8 | Belmont | 53 | 7 |
| 9 | Ohio | 50 | 8 |
| 10 | New Mexico State | 41 | 11 |
| 11 | Murray State | 40 | T-12 |
| 12 | Memphis | 37 | 10 |
| 13 | San Diego State | 34 | 17 |
| 14 | St. Mary's | 27 | T-12 |
| 15 | Cincinnati | 26 | 15 |
| 16 | Chattanooga | 24 | 20 |
| 17 | Davidson | 23 | 16 |
| T-18 | UAB | 20 | T-12 |
| T-18 | St. Louis | 20 | T-21 |
| 20 | Monmouth | 17 | 23 |
| T-21 | Grand Canyon | 15 | NR |
| T-21 | VCU | 15 | T-21 |
| T-23 | James Madison | 14 | T-25 |
| T-23 | Wyoming | 14 | 24 |
| 25 | St. Bonaventure | 11 | 19 |
Also receiving votes:
Western Kentucky 10; Boise State 10; SMU 7; North Texas 4; Utah State 3; Rhode Island 2; Louisiana Tech 2; Montana 1; Stephen F. Austin 1
Dropped from ranking:
Utah State, Buffalo