Tennessee remains the No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll after a lopsided win over Western Carolina extended the Volunteers' perfect start to 11-0.

The Volunteers coasted past the Catamounts 84-36 in their only game over the previous week. Senior guard Chaz Lanier had a game-high 19 points, while fellow senior Zakai Zeigler nearly had a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

For the voters, keeping Tennessee at No. 1 was an easy choice.

Kentucky presented a much tougher case after the Wildcats lost for the second time this year, getting upset 85-65 by Ohio State on Saturday night. That heavy defeat sent UK tumbling from fourth to 10th.

Week 8 AP Top 25 Poll

1. Tennessee

2. Auburn

3. Iowa State

4. Duke

5. Alabama

6. Florida

7. Kansas

8. Marquette

9. Oregon

10. Kentucky

11. UConn

12. Oklahoma

13. Texas A&M

14. Gonzaga

15. Houston

16. Ole Miss

17. Cincinnati

18. Michigan State

19. Mississippi State

20. San Diego State

21. Purdue

22. UCLA

23. Arkansas

24. Illinois

25. Baylor

Ohio State suffocated Kentucky defensively. The Wildcats shot 29.8 percent from the field and were 4-of-22 from beyond the arc.

It was a preview for how the Buckeyes' matchup with Tennessee in the College Football Playoff would unfold. OSU jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter in that encounter and didn't look back.

Toppling the Wildcats wasn't enough to catapult Ohio State into the Top 25 because Jake Diebler's is still just 8-4 on the season. But, one week removed from a blowout loss to Auburn, the upset gives something for the Buckeyes to build on as they start pivoting to Big Ten play.

It was the most consequential result from a week in which the best teams largely held serve.

Oklahoma failed to crack the Top 10 in the Week 7 AP poll despite reeling off 10 straight wins to open 2024-25. The Sooners were left to hope their 87-86 win over No. 24 Michigan made a strong impression on the voters.

This is likely to be the wildest finish of the season.

Michigan was clinging to a three-point lead until the waning moments. With just 11.5 seconds on the clock, Sooners guard Jeremiah Fears drilled a three-pointer and was fouled by Roddy Gayle Jr. He sank his free throw to complete the four-point play and put OU ahead.

That capped off a 30-point night for Fears.

"This team can take a punch and punch back," Sooners coach Porter Moser said. "That's the sign of a resilient team. There are so many good teams in college basketball that you better be able to take a punch."

It was never going to be enough to overtake Tennessee in the poll, but Auburn offered another strong statement by dispatching No. 16 Purdue 87-69.

Tigers star Johni Broome didn't look any worse for wear from his minor shoulder injury. The senior forward had 23 points, 11 rebounds and one block in 30 minutes on the floor.

With Broome's health seemingly no longer a concern, Auburn continues to assert itself as one of the strongest teams in the country.

With Christmas Day ahead, don't expect a lot of fireworks in men's basketball. The schedule is pretty light with coaches doing their final preparations before conference play well and truly tips off.