The AP Top 25 reveals that Auburn remains No. 1, maintaining its position for the fourth consecutive week and achieving unanimous support in the latest poll. Under the guidance of coach Bruce Pearl, the Tigers (20-1) have secured 246 of 248 first-place votes over the past month, showcasing their dominance in a challenging SEC that features nine ranked teams.
Auburn’s only setback came against Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils (19-2), who have surged to the forefront with the nation’s longest winning streak at 15 games, recently defeating their arch-rival North Carolina.
Amidst a turbulent week where 15 teams in the previous AP Top 25 faced losses, Auburn and Duke stood out as the only teams providing stability. Notably, three of those teams suffered two defeats.
Alabama has climbed to No. 3, while Tennessee made a significant leap of four spots to No. 4, further solidifying the SEC’s strong presence in the rankings. Houston, despite an overtime loss to now-No. 13 Texas Tech, managed to rise to No. 5, ending a remarkable 33-game home winning streak.
Following closely is Florida at No. 6, with Purdue, Iowa State, Michigan State, and Texas A&M completing the top 10.
Texas Tech (17-4) experienced the most significant rise among last week’s ranked teams, jumping nine spots to No. 13 after victories over TCU and Houston, despite the early ejections of coach Grant McCasland and forward JT Toppin.
The two-time reigning national champions, UConn, improved six spots to No. 19 following a win against Marquette, while Missouri ascended five spots to No. 15 after defeating Mississippi State.
In total, 10 teams saw upward movement in the rankings. Notably, Rick Pitino’s St. John’s team climbed three spots to No. 12, marking the program’s highest ranking since finishing the 1999-2000 season at No. 9.
Mississippi State faced the week’s most significant drop, falling eight spots to No. 22 after losing at home to Alabama and Missouri. Iowa State also experienced a challenging week, dropping five spots after defeats to Arizona and Kansas State.
Kansas at No. 16 and Illinois at No. 23 both fell five spots, contributing to a total of 10 teams sliding down the rankings.
The week introduced three new teams to the rankings: No. 18 Maryland, No. 20 Arizona, and No. 24 Michigan.
Kevin Willard’s Terrapins (17-5) reentered the poll at No. 18 after extending their winning streak to four games, a run that included victories against then-No. 17 Illinois and Wisconsin.
This marked Maryland’s first appearance in the rankings in nearly two years, with their last ranking being No. 21 in late February 2023.
Arizona (15-6) made a return to the rankings for the first time since November, having opened the season at No. 10 and peaking at No. 9. The Wildcats have won 11 of their last 12 games, including a thrilling overtime victory against Iowa State, highlighted by Caleb Love’s halfcourt shot.
Michigan (16-5) has had two previous stints in the rankings this season, with its highest position being No. 14 in early December.
Oregon was among three teams to exit this week’s poll, dropping from No. 16 after suffering two losses last week against UCLA and Nebraska. Louisville (No. 21) and Vanderbilt (No. 24) also fell out after defeats to unranked opponents.
Maryland’s return has bolstered the Big Ten to six ranked teams, followed by the Big 12 with five and the Big East with three. The ACC and American Athletic Conference each secured one spot in the rankings.
Here’s the complete AP Top 25:
1. Auburn
2. Duke
3. Alabama
4. Tennessee
5. Houston
6. Florida
7. Purdue
8. Iowa State
9. Michigan State
10. Texas A&M
11. Marquette
12. St. John’s
13. Texas Tech
14. Kentucky
15. Missouri
16. Kansas
17. Memphis
18. Maryland
19. UConn
20. Arizona
21. Wisconsin
22. Mississippi State
23. Illinois
24. Michigan
25. Ole Miss
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