Tennessee Holds Steady at No. 1 as UCLA Soars Seven Spots in Latest Men’s Poll!

AP Top 25: Tennessee remains No. 1 in the latest men’s basketball poll, securing 41 first-place votes from a 61-member media panel released on Monday. Close behind, No. 2 Auburn garnered 20 first-place votes, while Iowa State, Duke, and Alabama completed the top five rankings.

Despite a week off from competition, the Tigers managed to close the gap on Tennessee, adding eight more first-place votes to their tally, demonstrating their strong performance this season.

The rankings for the top 13 teams remained static, as 12 of the ranked teams did not compete last week, leading to a period of stability among the elite.

Tennessee continued its dominance by winning its only game during Christmas week, defeating Middle Tennessee 82-64, which allowed them to hold onto the No. 1 position for the third consecutive week.

Among the four remaining undefeated teams in men’s Division I basketball, Tennessee stands out, alongside No. 6 Florida and No. 12 Oklahoma, both at 10-0. Drake also enters the week without a loss at 9-0.

The Gators showcased their strength by defeating Stetson 85-45, while the Sooners secured a solid win over Prairie View, finishing 89-67.

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) continued to assert its dominance in the Top 25, with Florida contributing to the league’s representation of four teams in the top six.

While most AP Top 25 teams faced opponents from smaller conferences last week, UCLA and Gonzaga stood out by clashing in a highly anticipated matchup.

In a thrilling conclusion to the nonconference season, the Zags and Bruins faced off at the Intuit Dome, the new home of the NBA’s LA Clippers. UCLA managed to fend off Gonzaga’s late-game surge, securing a 65-62 victory, bolstered by Eric Dailey Jr.’s impressive 18-point performance. This win propelled UCLA up seven spots to No. 15 in this week’s poll, while Gonzaga slipped five spots to No. 19.

No. 24 Ole Miss narrowly retained its ranking, dropping eight positions after suffering an 87-70 defeat to No. 21 Memphis on Saturday.

Memphis, following its victory over Ole Miss, was the only team to break into this week’s poll.

San Diego State fell out of the rankings after a narrow 67-66 loss to Utah State, where Tucker Anderson’s last-second 3-pointer sealed the game for the Aggies, who appeared on 14 ballots after their win.

The SEC leads all conferences with 10 ranked teams, while the Big Ten and Big 12 each have five, and the Big East has two. The ACC, West Coast, and American Athletic conferences each have one team represented.

Here’s the full AP Top 25:

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. Houston
15. UCLA
16. Cincinnati
17. Mississippi State
18. Michigan State
19. Gonzaga
20. Purdue
21. Memphis
22. Illinois 
23. Arkansas 
24. Ole Miss
25. Baylor 

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