Minnesota No. 8 in latest AP Poll

Jan 6, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Gophers bench clebrates guard Austin Hollins (20) third three point shot in a row in the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Williams Arena. The Gopher

With wins over No. 22 Michigan State and Northwestern over the past week, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are ranked No. 8 in the AP Top 25, sporting a 14-1 overall record and 2-0 in conference play.

The latest ranking is a one spot improvement over the No. 9 ranking last week, and since Minnesota cracked the top 25 in week four as No. 21, the Gophers have made improvements every week.

Minnesota is one of three Big Ten teams in the top 10 — No. 2 Michigan and No. 5 Indiana are ahead of the Gophers.

No. 12 Illinois slipped down a spot after losing to Purdue before beating No. 15 Ohio State. The Fighting Illini will play host to the Gophers on Wednesday in a true test for either team as they fight to be hailed the third-best team in the Big Ten.

Following Illinois, Minnesota will travel to Hoosier territory to face Indiana.