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Villanova could reach No. 1 for first time

With Oklahoma and North Carolina, the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 teams, having lost on Saturday, the question upon the release Monday of the new Associated Press poll is: Who's No. 1?

With Oklahoma and North Carolina, the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 teams, having lost on Saturday, the question upon the release Monday of the new Associated Press poll is: Who's No. 1?

The answer: Maybe Villanova.

The third-ranked Wildcats, who never have been ranked No. 1 in school history, defeated No. 11 Providence, 72-60, on the road Saturday without starting center Daniel Ochefu to improve to 20-3.

The other contenders for the top spot this week are Xavier (21-2), Iowa (19-4), Maryland (21-3), and Virginia (19-4). Villanova has defeated Xavier at the Pavilion and has lost to Virginia on the road.

The Wildcats have been ranked as high as second in their history, having reached that perch in four seasons for a total of six weeks, according to Sports-Reference.com. Their last No. 2 ranking was the final poll of 2014-15 heading into the NCAA tournament.

jjuliano@phillynews.com

@joejulesinq