The AP and Coaches polls will be interesting Monday, if only because there's sure to be a shakeup, and there's no obvious answer to the following question: Who should be No. 1?

I've looked at it from a variety of angles, and, best I can tell, a reasonable case could be made for any number of schools, which is why I won't use Monday's Poll Attacks column to clown anybody who has Iowa, Oklahoma, Villanova, Xavier, Maryland or even Kansas ranked No. 1. There's nothing absurd about any of those teams headlining a ballot, and I can't remember a time when the top of the rankings were this much of a jumbled mess.

As for me, I'm going with … Iowa.

Yes, Iowa.

And, let the record show, that's not a sentence I could've ever anticipated typing in the preseason, or even after Fran McCaffery's team dropped back-to-back games to Dayton and Notre Dame in November. But here we are. And, absolutely, I'll explain.

The Hawkeyes are 18-4 overall, 9-1 in the Big Ten and winners of 11 of their past 12 games with the lone loss in that stretch coming by six points at Maryland. All four of their losses are to schools also ranked in the CBS Sports Top 25 ( and one), and none of their losses came by double-digits or at home. They have four top-25 RPI wins, which is one more than Oklahoma and two more than Villanova. They have six top-50 RPI wins, which is one more than Oklahoma and the same amount as Villanova. And they have zero losses outside of the top 30 of the RPI while Oklahoma and Villanova each has one sub-30 RPI defeat. Oklahoma's came by double-digits Saturday night at Kansas State.

So that's that.

Iowa is No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one).

The full Top 25 (and one) is below:

Jarrod Uthoff has the Iowa Hawkeyes as the new No. 1 team in the Top 25 (and one). (USATSI)
Jarrod Uthoff has the Iowa Hawkeyes as the new No. 1 team in the Top 25 (and one). (USATSI)
 
CBS Sports Daily Top 25 (and one) Rankings
Rank Teams Comments
1 Iowa
Overall: 18-4
Conference: 9-1
Previous: 2
The Hawkeyes have won 11 of 12 since losing at Iowa State in December. They’ve beaten Michigan State twice, Purdue twice and Wichita State once.
2 Oklahoma
Overall: 19-3
Conference: 7-3
Previous: 1
All three of Oklahoma’s losses are losses in true road games. The Sooners have beaten Villanova, West Virginia, Iowa State and Baylor.
3 Villanova
Overall: 20-3
Conference: 10-1
Previous: 3
The Wildcats have won 12 of 13 since losing at Virginia. They own wins over Xavier, Providence , Saint Joseph’s, Seton Hall and Butler.
4 Xavier
Overall: 21-2
Conference: 9-2
Previous: 4
The Musketeers have won five straight since losing to Georgetown. Six different players are averaging at least 9.3 points per game.
5 Maryland
Overall: 21-3
Conference: 10-2
Previous: 6
The Terrapins have won four straight since losing at Michigan State. All three of their loses are single-digit losses in true road games.
6 Kansas
Overall: 19-4
Conference: 7-3
Previous: 7
Kansas has won three straight since losing at Iowa State. Perry Ellis is averaging a team-high 16.7 points for the Jayhawks.
7 Virginia
Overall: 19-4
Conference: 8-3
Previous: 8
The Cavaliers have won six straight since losing at Florida State. They own wins over Villanova, West Virginia, Miami, Louisville and Notre Dame.
8 West Virginia
Overall: 19-4
Conference: 8-2
Previous: 9
The Mountaineers have won two straight since losing at Florida. They’re now alone atop the Big 12 standings.
9 North Carolina
Overall: 19-4
Conference: 8-2
Previous: 5
The Tar Heels have dropped consecutive road games by a combined 10 points. Regardless, they’re still tied for first in the ACC standings.
10 Iowa State
Overall: 17-6
Conference: 6-4
Previous: 10
The Cyclones won at Oklahoma State despite the absence of Jameel McKay. He was suspended and did not make the trip.
11 Michigan State
Overall: 20-4
Conference: 7-4
Previous: 11
The Spartans have won four straight since losing to Nebraska. They own wins over Maryland, Kansas, Louisville, Providence, Florida and Michigan.
12 Oregon
Overall: 19-4
Conference: 8-2
Previous: 12
The Ducks now have seven top-50 RPI wins to help offset three sub-50 losses. They’ve won five straight since losing at Colorado.
13 Louisville
Overall: 19-4
Conference: 8-2
Previous: 13
The Cardinals have won six of seven since losing at Clemson. They beat Boston College by 32 points Saturday despite the absence of Damion Lee.
14 Miami (Fla.)
Overall: 17-4
Conference: 6-3
Previous: 14
The Hurricanes have six top-50 RPI wins — but three losses outside of the top 50. They’ve won four of their past five.
15 Purdue
Overall: 19-5
Conference: 7-4
Previous: 15
Three of Purdue’s five losses are two Iowa or Maryland. The Boilermakers haven’t lost to an unranked team in nearly a month.
16 Dayton
Overall: 19-3
Conference: 9-1
Previous: 19
The Flyers have won seven straight since losing at La Salle. They own wins over Iowa and Vanderbilt.
17 Southern California
Overall: 18-5
Conference: 7-3
Previous: 20
The Trojans have won three straight since losing at Oregon State. They have four top-50 RPI wins and just one loss outside of the top 50.
18 Baylor
Overall: 17-6
Conference: 6-4
Previous: 18
The Bears have lost two straight since beating Georgia. All six of their losses are to schools currently ranked in the Top 25 (and one).
19 Texas A&M
Overall: 18-5
Conference: 7-3
Previous: 16
The Aggies have dropped two straight since beating Iowa State. They’re shooting just 65.6 percent from the free throw line.
20 Texas
Overall: 16-7
Conference: 7-3
Previous: 22
The Longhorns have won four straight since losing at Kansas. They’re tied for second in the Big 12 standings with Oklahoma and KU.
21 SMU
Overall: 19-2
Conference: 8-2
Previous: 23
The Mustangs have lost two of their past three games. They only have two top-50 RPI wins.
22 Wichita State
Overall: 17-6
Conference: 11-1
Previous: 17
The Shockers’ 12-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Illinois State. They still have a three-game lead in the MVC standings.
23 Utah
Overall: 17-6
Conference: 6-4
Previous: 25
The Utes have won five of six since losing to Oregon. They have five top-50 RPI wins and just two losses outside of the top 50.
24 Notre Dame
Overall: 16-7
Conference: 7-4
Previous: NR
The Irish have won five of seven since losing at Syracuse. They own wins over Iowa, North Carolina and Duke.
25 Seton Hall
Overall: 17-6
Conference: 7-4
Previous: NR
The Pirates have won four straight since losing at Xavier. They have two wins over schools also ranked in the Top 25 (and one).
26 Providence
Overall: 18-6
Conference: 6-5
Previous: 21
The Friars have dropped three of their past four games, including one at DePaul. Their resume is bolstered by wins over Villanova, Arizona and Butler.