Gonzaga stays at No. 8 in AP rankings

There was a lot of movement at the top of AP college basketball poll but not much in the bottom half of the top 10.

Gonzaga held on at No. 8 – the Zags are just two points in front of No. 9 Virginia – while Kentucky moved into the top spot after defeating preseason No. 1 Michigan State at Madison Square Garden.

Gonzaga (2-0) received 1,136 points, gaining 40 points from the preseason poll after a pair of blowout wins over Alabama State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Virginia jumped up two spots after handling Syracuse 48-34 and earned 1,134 points.

Duke, Michigan State, Louisville and Kansas rounded out the top five. The Blue Devils defeated the Jayhawks in their season opener in New York City.

It was a good week for future Gonzaga opponents as North Carolina jumped from ninth to sixth, Saint Mary’s moved from 20th to 18th, Arizona improved from 21st to 19th and Washington made its debut at No. 20.

The Huskies edged Baylor, which dropped from 16th to 24th, in their season opener. Arizona posted an impressive 90-69 win over Illinois. The Gaels defeated Wisconsin 65-63 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Gonzaga also will face No. 12 Seton Hall or No. 14 Oregon in the second round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Kentucky received 64 of 65 first-place votes from the media panel. No. 4 Louisville received the other first-place vote.