NCAA: Villanova enters 2017 atop rankings

The Villanova Wildcats usher in 2017 as the consensus number one team in the NCAA rankings after eight weeks. They are still undefeated, with their 14-0 record and the Big East team recently downed 10th ranked Creighton 80-70 to end 2016 on a high note. This is their fourth-straight week atop of the AP rankings, after taking the top spot from Kentucky in Week 5. The Wildcats have been performing well lately and have looked sharp on the court. Villanova is expected to finish the regular season as the top team to emerge from the East and at this point, they appear on track to do so. The PAC-12 gets represented by UCLA (14-1), which has managed to Kansas (#3) for now.

In other news, Duke’s coach Mike Krzyzewski has stripped Grayson Allen of his team captainship. The Blue Devil’s felt Allen’s absence in his first game out as he serves an indefinite suspension. They fell to Virginia Tech 89-75.

Saint Joseph’s got some bad news to start 2017, with their top scorer, Shavar Newkirk expected to miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. He has been averaging 20.3 ppg in 12 games. He will undergo surgery to repair the tear in the coming weeks.