By AARON BEARD
Wyoming’s Larry Nance Jr. points to the crowd during an NCAA college basketball game against Colorado State on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, in Fort Collins, CO. Wyoming won 60-54. (AP Photo/The Coloradoan, Erin Hull)
Wyoming Colorado State Basketball
Wyoming’s Josh Adams dunks the ball early in the first half against Colorado State during the NCAA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. (AP Photo/The Coloradoan, Erin Hull)
Mike Krzyzewski, Justise Winslow, Rasheed Sulaimon, Matt Jones, Quinn Cook
Duke’s Rasheed Sulaimon holds his head during a timeout against North Carolina State late in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, left, Justise Winslow (12), Matt Jones (13) and Quinn Cook, right, huddle. North Carolina State won 87-75. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Brice Johnson, Chris Jones, Terry Rozier
Louisville’s Chris Jones drives to the basket as North Carolina’s Brice Johnson (11) watches at right during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015. North Carolina won 72-71. Louisville’s Terry Rozier (0) looks on at left. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Arizona Oregon Basketball
Arizona coach Sean Miller yells at his team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oregon on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015, in Eugene, Ore. Arizona won 80-62. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)
Aaron Harrison, John Calipari
Kentucky’s Aaron Harrison (2) and coach John Calipari watch from the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi in Lexington, Ky., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. Kentucky won 89-86 in overtime. (AP Photo/James Crisp)
Tony Bennett
Virginia head coach Tony Bennett directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Charlottesville, Va., Wednesday Jan. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
..
Prev
1 of 7
Next
.
It took Wyoming nearly three decades to get back into the AP Top 25. Now Larry Shyatt’s Cowboys get the chance to stick around.
Back in the poll for the first time since 1988, No. 25 Wyoming hosts San Diego State on Wednesday night as it tries to stay unbeaten in the Mountain West Conference.
“I think if you were to ask them (about the ranking), they’d probably say, ‘That’s pretty neat for other people but we’ve got a lot of work to do,'” Shyatt said of his players.
Wyoming (15-2, 4-0) has won seven straight games overall and 13 straight at home, the program’s best streak there since the 2000-01 season.
After hosting the Aztecs — who were ranked 13th in December — Wyoming travels to Fresno State on Saturday.
This is the first time the Cowboys have been ranked since the Fennis Dembo-led squad checked in at No. 13 in March 1988. Shyatt coached against that squad as an assistant at New Mexico, and has now helped bring back that same program.
Wyoming hasn’t won the Mountain West regular-season title or been to the NCAA tournament since 2002.
“The only thing we’re going to talk about is the team we have coming up: San Diego State,” Shyatt said. “They actually have what it is that these guys want. They have championships.”
TOP-10 MATCHUPS: There are two top-10 matchups to headline the AP Top 25 schedule this week, both on Saturday.
First, No. 4 Duke (14-1) travels to No. 6 Louisville (14-2) in the Atlantic Coast Conference in a game that lost some of its luster when the Blue Devils suffered their first loss at North Carolina State on Sunday. It has been set up for Duke Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski to go for his 1,000th career victory against another Hall of Famer, the Cardinals’ Rick Pitino.
That night, No. 8 Utah (13-2) travels to No. 10 Arizona (14-2) in the Pac-12.
BIG 12 THROWDOWNS: For the second straight week, the Big 12 has several ranked teams squaring off.
On Tuesday, No. 9 Kansas (13-2) hosts No. 24 Oklahoma State (12-3) and No. 16 West Virginia (14-2) hosts No. 18 Oklahoma (11-4).
One night later, No. 11 Iowa State (12-2) travels to No. 22 Baylor (12-3).
The schedule is full on Saturday: No. 9 Kansas at No. 11 Iowa State, No. 16 West Virginia at No. 20 Texas (12-4), and No. 24 Oklahoma State at No. 18 Oklahoma.
KENTUCKY STILL NO. 1: Kentucky stayed No. 1, but not unanimously.
The top-ranked Wildcats (15-0) were atop 63 of 65 votes cast Monday, ending a run of five straight weeks as the unanimous No. 1. Kentucky beat Mississippi at home in overtime in its Southeastern Conference opener then won in double OT at Texas A&M.
Kentucky hosts Missouri on Tuesday and travels to Alabama on Saturday.
“We’re still winning tough games and we’re fighting like crazy,” coach John Calipari said. “It’s just that we’re not exactly where we were, and it’s all good because I don’t want us to be like it’s March right now. It’s too early to be like it’s March.”
VIRGINIA’S VOTES: No. 2 Virginia (15-0), the only other unbeaten team remaining, earned the other two first-place votes.
The voters who switched to Virginia had similar logic behind their decision. John Feinstein of The Washington Post and Zach Osterman of The Indianapolis Star both cited Kentucky’s overtime struggles compared to Virginia’s road win against a ranked Notre Dame team that had won 11 straight.
Both also said they vote based on who is playing the best right now instead of who will finish No. 1.
Virginia hosts Clemson on Tuesday then travels to Boston College on Saturday.