In this week’s Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll, released on Monday, two teams enter the top five while one program remains undefeated for another week. Here are five takeaways from the poll.
While the top three of Duke (27-2, 15-1 ACC), Arizona (27-2, 14-2 Big 12) and Michigan (27-2, 17-1 Big Ten) remained in check this week, that was not the case in the rest of the poll.
The Huskies (27-3, 17-2 Big East) move up two spots to No. 4 riding a three-game winning streak since a potential wake-up call against Creighton on Feb. 18. UConn struggled to put Seton Hall away in a 71-67 win on Saturday, but for a team that has won 17 games when trailing at any point this season — the most of any team in the Big East — it can never be counted out of any game.
The Gators (23-6, 14-2 SEC), up two spots to No. 5, have won their last nine games since a 76-67 loss to Auburn on Jan. 24. Florida leads the country in rebounding margin (plus-14) and has clinched at least a share of the SEC regular-season title for the first time since winning it outright in 2013-14.
The Spartans (24-5, 14-4 Big Ten) move up five spots to No. 8 and look like they are ready to make a run in March. The biggest highlight of their week was a 76-74 resume-boosting win over then-No. 8 Purdue, which was also the program’s first at Mackey Arena since 2014.
The Red Raiders (22-7, 12-4 Big 12) are the biggest mover of the week with a six-spot gain to No. 10. That is even more impressive when you consider leading-scorer JT Toppin (21.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG) was lost for the season with a torn right ACL in the loss to Arizona State on Feb. 17 and Texas Tech has still managed to win each of its three games since.
The Bulldogs (28-3, 16-2 WCC), down three spots to No. 12, did not have the finish they envisioned to West Coast Conference play in Saturday’s 70-59 loss to Saint Mary’s. The loss resulted in a split of the WCC regular-season title between the two rivals, with the conference tournament set to begin later this week.
The Boilermakers (22-7, 12-6 Big Ten) experience the biggest drop in this week’s poll, down seven spots to No. 15. Purdue has now lost back-to-back games and three of its last four as it heads into the final week of the regular season with games against Northwestern and Wisconsin.
Miami (Ohio) keeps moving up as only unbeaten team
The RedHawks (29-0, 16-0 MAC) move up two spots to No. 19 despite getting a big scare from Western Michigan in Friday’s 69-67 win. Miami (Ohio) achieved its highest ranking since it was No. 12 in 1952-53, but unless it wins out, it could still miss the NCAA Tournament altogether.
Saint Mary’s, Miami join the poll
Fresh off their upset over then-No. 9 Gonzaga on Saturday, the Gaels (27-4, 16-2 WCC) enter at No. 21 with the nation’s seventh-best scoring defense (64.2 PPG). The Hurricanes (23-6, 12-4 ACC), meanwhile, debut at No. 22 and are ranked for the first time since 2023 after experiencing the biggest increase in wins (plus-16) from last season in Division I.