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The Villanova Wildcats and Butler Bulldogs represent the Big East Conference in the latest edition of the USA TODAY Coaches' Poll.
The Wildcats remain at No. 6 after an unbeaten week, defeating the likes of Seton Hall and Marquette in their last two matchups. Villanova is 25-2 and on their way to yet another Big East regular season championship under the direction of head coach Jay Wright who continues to establish himself as one of the best coaches in the country.
Butler, meanwhile, tumbled after a 1-1 showing in the previous week. While they escaped from Omaha with a win over Creighton thanks to Roosevelt Jones, Xavier steamrolled them in Cincinnati. They, much like in the AP Poll, fell down from 19 to 23 in this edition of the Coaches' Poll.
Georgetown and Providence are on the outside looking in, just barely missing the cut as they are No. 26 and 27 respectively.
Kentucky remains the unanimous No. 1 in the country and are still college basketball's only unbeaten team to this point in the season. Northern Iowa and Wichita State stand at No. 10 and 11, setting the stage for an epic encounter on February 28 that will decide the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship.
USA TODAY Coaches' Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Pts | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky Wildcats (32) | 27-0 | 800 | 1 |
| 2 | Gonzaga Bulldogs | 28-1 | 746 | 2 |
| 3 | Virginia Cavaliers | 25-1 | 725 | 3 |
| 4 | Wisconsin Badgers | 25-2 | 709 | 4 |
| 5 | Duke Blue Devils | 24-3 | 690 | 5 |
| 6 | Villanova Wildcats | 25-2 | 648 | 6 |
| 7 | Arizona Wildcats | 24-3 | 603 | 7 |
| 8 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 24-4 | 552 | 10 |
| 9 | Kansas Jayhawks | 22-5 | 530 | 8 |
| 10 | Northern Iowa Panthers | 26-2 | 506 | 11 |
| 11 | Wichita State Shockers | 25-3 | 460 | 13 |
| 12 | Utah Utes | 21-5 | 442 | 9 |
| 13 | Iowa State Cyclones | 20-6 | 425 | 14 |
| 14 | Maryland Terrapins | 22-5 | 347 | 15 |
| 15 | Louisville Cardinals | 21-6 | 655 | 12 |
| 16 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 22-5 | 622 | 17 |
| 17 | Oklahoma Sooners | 19-8 | 288 | 17 |
| 18 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 19-8 | 272 | 18 |
| 19 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 21-6 | 214 | 22 |
| 20 | Baylor Bears | 20-7 | 202 | 20 |
| 21 | SMU Mustangs | 22-5 | 178 | 21 |
| 22 | San Diego State Aztecs | 22-6 | 99 | 25 |
| 23 | Butler Bulldogs | 19-8 | 73 | 19 |
| 24 | Virginia Commonwealth Rams | 21-6 | 70 | 26 |
| 25 | Michigan State Spartans | 19-8 | 48 | 29 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Georgetown 31, Providence 28, Murray St. 23, Valparaiso 16, Ohio State 10, Oklahoma St. 10, S.F. Austin 9, Texas A&M 6, Davidson 4, Oregon 4, Purdue 4, Ole Miss 3, Boise State 2, Colorado St. 2 | ||||