Auburn and Duke retain their positions as the top two teams in the men’s college basketball landscape according to the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, marking the third consecutive week they hold those spots. Additionally, Maryland has reentered the rankings for the first time in almost two years.
Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers (20-1) maintain the No. 1 spot for the fourth straight week, being the unanimous selection. Over the past month, they have claimed 246 out of 248 first-place votes while remaining undefeated in a challenging Southeastern Conference, which boasts nine ranked teams. Auburn’s sole loss was to Jon Scheyer’s Duke Blue Devils (19-2), who are riding the nation’s longest winning streak at 15 games following a decisive victory over rival North Carolina.
With this week’s poll, Auburn and Duke have provided much-needed stability in a ranking system where 15 teams lost last week, some even suffering two defeats.
In the upper echelon, Alabama has moved up a position to secure the No. 3 ranking, while Tennessee experienced a notable climb, ascending four spots to reach No. 4. Houston, despite an overtime loss to now-No. 13 Texas Tech, rose one spot to land at No. 5, successfully ending a 33-game home winning streak. Rounding out the top ten are Florida at No. 6, followed by Purdue, Iowa State, Michigan State, and Texas A&M.
Texas Tech (17-4) experienced the highest jump among previously ranked teams, moving up nine places to No. 13 following victories against TCU and Houston, despite losing some key players early in the game. Two-time defending champions UConn improved six spots to reach No. 19 after a solid performance against Marquette, while Missouri gained five spots to No. 15 by defeating Mississippi State. Overall, ten teams have improved their standing from last week’s rankings. Rick Pitino’s St. John’s team also made a noteworthy rise to No. 12, marking its highest ranking since wrapping up the 1999-2000 season at No. 9.
However, not every team experienced a favorable turn of events. Mississippi State faced the steepest decline, dropping eight positions to No. 22 after losses to Alabama and Missouri. Iowa State also endured a tough week, falling five spots after losses to Arizona and Kansas State. Kansas and Illinois both slipped five spots as well, contributing to a total of ten teams that experienced a drop in rankings.
The latest rankings welcome three new teams: No. 18 Maryland, No. 20 Arizona, and No. 24 Michigan. Kevin Willard’s Terrapins (17-5) secured the No. 18 spot after extending their winning streak to four games, which included notable victories over then-No. 17 Illinois and then-No. 17 Wisconsin. This marks Maryland’s first appearance in the rankings in nearly two years, with their last ranking at No. 21 in late February 2023. Arizona, now at 15-6, rejoined the poll after winning 11 of their last 12 games, including an overtime victory against Iowa State. Michigan also made a return, having previously held a position in the rankings in December, peaking at No. 14.
On the downside, Oregon was among the three teams that fell from the rankings this week, dropping from No. 16 after two losses, one against UCLA and another against Nebraska at home. Louisville, ranked No. 21, and Vanderbilt at No. 24 also exited the rankings after losses to unranked opponents.
In terms of conference representation, the SEC has sustained at least nine teams in the rankings for the seventh consecutive week, including instances where ten teams were present, which represents 40% of the poll. Additionally, the SEC has consistently shown strong presence in the top ten, reaching as many as six teams in early January. The Big Ten follows with six ranked teams after the inclusion of Maryland, while the Big 12 boasts five and the Big East three. Both the Atlantic Coast Conference and American Athletic Conference each feature one ranked team.
