Tennessee remains at No. 1, top 4 unchanged in AP Top 25

Tennessee had a couple of shaky moments after earning its first No. 1 ranking in 11 years. The Volunteers are sure rolling now.

Coming off decisive wins over South Carolina and Texas A&M, Tennessee remained atop The Associated Press men’s basketball poll for the third straight week.

The Vols received 48 of 64 first-place votes from a media panel in the poll released Monday . No. 2 Duke had 12 first-place votes and No. 3 Virginia four. Gonzaga and Kentucky rounded out the top 5.

“These guys have worked hard,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said after the Texas A&M game. “They’ve really become a team. If you could’ve been in the huddle the last seven minutes, I didn’t have to say a word. ”

Tennessee (20-1, 8-0 SEC) struggled against Vanderbilt in its first game at No. 1 and got off to a slow start against West Virginia . The Vols stomped on the Gamecocks and Aggies by a combined 39 points to break a century-old school record with their 16th straight win.

Tennessee plays Missouri and Florida this week.