MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Syracuse won over a last holdout and is the unanimous choice as No. 1 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches basketball poll.
The Orange (19-0) had been one second-place vote short of unanimity for four weeks before getting all 39 first-place mentions Monday.
Kentucky (17-1), which has been getting that last first-place vote, lost it and is two points short of receiving all the second-place votes.
After a week in which nine ranked teams suffered losses -- including internecine defeats in the Big 10 by Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana and Michigan -- the had saw 11 teams change position by at least four places and two fall out.
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Baylor (17-0) improves its ranking to No. 3 heading into games this week at Kansas and against Missouri. The Tigers (16-1) are up four to fifth and Kansas (14-3) goes from 10th to seventh.
Duke (15-2) is third and Ohio State (16-3) is at No. 6 while North Carolina (15-3) slips fives spots to eighth ahead of No. 9 Michigan State (15-3) and Murray State (18-0), which improves four places to 10th.
Connecticut (14-3) jumps from No. 16 to 11th but Georgetown (14-3) is down one to No. 12 and Indiana (15-3) falls from eighth to 13th.
Florida (14-4) and Mississippi State (15-3) both climb five rungs to Nos. 14 and 15, respectively.
San Diego State (15-2), 22nd a week ago, comes in at 16th while Virginia (14-2) holds steady at 17th. Creighton (16-2) is 18th after a week at No. 21. Michigan (14-4) drops six spots to 19th and Nevada-Las Vegas (16-3) goes from 12th to No. 20.
Louisville (14-4) is 21st, down six places while Marquette (14-4) is 22nd and St. Mary's (Calif.) (17-2), Harvard (15-2) and Illinois (15-3), in order, complete the Top 25.
St. Mary's and Illinois were unranked last week. Kansas State and Gonzaga drop out of the rankings.
Two games Monday pitted ranked teams against each other, with the Baylor-Kansas contest joining the Louisville at Marquette game in that category. Tuesday finds Michigan State at Michigan and Missouri is at Baylor on Saturday.
