For the first time since the 2013-14 season, Villanova is not ranked in the AP Top 25.
Jay Wright's Wildcats received just 53 points in the latest poll, sending them careening from No. 8 last week to "receiving votes" Monday. They saw a streak of 78 weeks in the AP poll snapped. They entered the poll in December 2013 and hadn't dropped lower than No. 17 since.
The defending national champions got off to a rough start last week. On Wednesday, they got blown out by Michigan in a title-game rematch in the debut of the newly renovated Finneran Pavilion.
Then on Saturday, the Wildcats got upset by Furman _ yes, Furman _ in overtime. It's the first time a national champion has started 2-2 since UCLA did it in 1995, according to the Associated Press.
"Obviously, losing isn't any fun, but a great college basketball game," Wright said after Saturday's loss. It was another chapter in a great week for Furman, which beat another Final Four team on Nov. 9 when it took down Loyola-Chicago on the road.
The two losses were the first back-to-back defeats and the first time 'Nova has lost two home games in a season since 2012-13.
Furman, for its part, received 50 points in this week's poll.
Villanova will try to rebound this week in Orlando, where it will participate in the AdvoCare Invitational. First up will be Canisius on Thursday afternoon. If the Wildcats win, they'll move on to play Oklahoma State or Memphis on Friday morning.
The AP Top 25
RecordPtsPrv
1. Duke
2. Kansas
3. Gonzaga
4. Virginia
5. Tennessee
6. Nevada
7. North Carolina
8. Auburn
9. Michigan
10. Kentucky
11. Michigan State
12. Kansas State
13. Virginia Tech
14. Florida State
15. Mississippi State
16. Clemson
17. UCLA
18. TCU
19. LSU
20. Iowa
21. Oregon
22. Buffalo
23. Ohio State
24. Purdue
25. Wisconsin
Others receiving votes: Nebraska 98, Indiana 74, Maryland 56, Villanova 53, Furman 50, Syracuse 29, Washington 29, Texas 23, West Virginia 18, Miami 18, Butler 18, St. John's 13, Iowa St. 11, Texas Tech 8, Florida 7, Marquette 7, Saint Louis 6, Arizona St. 4, Vanderbilt 4, Notre Dame 4, Marshall 4, UConn 3, Loyola of Chicago 2, Temple 2, Loyola Marymount 2, Davidson 1, Arkansas 1.
