The Wildcats (19-3) claimed the top spot after the Tar Heels (19-2) slipped from their perch, a swap at the summit that tells you everything about how thin the margin is between two teams separated by one loss and a single ranking point. North Carolina's resume still sparkles, but the poll has spoken, and the Wildcats are the story.
No team made a louder statement than the Buffaloes (16-4), who vaulted six spots from No. 11 to No. 5 — the biggest jump in the poll. Right behind them in the shock-and-awe department: the Blue Jays (17-5), who stormed from No. 8 to No. 3, turning the top five into a completely different conversation than it was a week ago. The Seawolves (19-3) also cracked the top 10, rising from No. 10 to No. 6.
The Fighting Irish (12-6) took the hardest tumble, dropping five spots to No. 20, while the Minutewomen (16-3) crashed the party at No. 25 as the poll's lone newcomer. The race just got wider — and wilder.
Data via ESPN · Summarized by D1Ball's editorial engine from official statistics.
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