Virginia found out where it stands as far as being an ACC contender.

The Cavaliers started the season winning 11 of the first 12. But then they lost three in a row and five of the last seven.

The last two losses were to North Carolina and Duke, so I didn't sink them completely in this week's Associated Press poll.

Here's how I voted for this week's top 25:

1. Gonzaga 28-0 (1)

2. Villanova 26-2 (2)

3. Kansas 24-3 (3)

4. UCLA 24-3 (5)

5. Louisville 22-5 (6)

6. Oregon 24-4 (7)

7. Baylor 22-5 (4)

8. North Carolina 23-5 (10)

9. Arizona 25-3 (8)

10. Duke 22-5 (11)

11. West Virginia 21-6 (9)

12. Kentucky 22-5 (13)

13. Purdue 22-5 (15)

14. Cincinnati 24-3 (16)

15. Wisconsin 22-5 (14)

16. Virginia 18-8 (12)

17. Florida 22-5 (19)

18. Creighton 22-5 (20)

19. SMU 24-4 (21)

20. Maryland 22-5 (18)

21. Saint Mary's 24-3 (24)

22. Notre Dame 21-7 (25)

23. Butler 21-6 (NR)

24. Florida State 21-6 (17)

25. Northwestern 20-7 (22)

Dropped out: South Carolina (23)

•Northwestern remained in the top 25 despite making things complicated. They've lost three of their last five games, including a rough one to Illinois. But the victory at Wisconsin bolstered them (despite Wisconsin's difficult week with a loss to Michigan). A victory against Rutgers this week does little to impress or negate the sting from a 10-point loss to Maryland.The Wildcats need to win road games this week at Illinois and Indiana to remain in the top 25 next week.

•Some could make case for Kansas jumping into No. 1 spot this week with such convincing victories against West Virginia and Baylor. They've won four in a row, which includes three road games and two top-10 victories. But I don't see a reason to knock down Gonzaga or Villanova after they continue to plow ahead. So my top three remained intact from last week.

sryan@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @sryantribune

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