This week, Kansas secured the No. 1 position in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll, managing to fend off competition from Auburn, which rose to No. 2 after winning the Maui Invitational. Meanwhile, Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams took three of the top four spots. Notably, the two-time reigning national champion UConn faced significant challenges, suffering an 0-3 week that sent them tumbling to No. 25.
SEC Dominance
Auburn received 26 of the 61 first-place votes, while Kansas garnered the other 35. The Jayhawks, now 7-0, have consistently increased their lead over the second-ranked team since the preseason, boasting a 107-point margin over UConn last week. However, following Auburn’s triumph over ranked teams like Iowa State and North Carolina in Tokyo, that gap has narrowed to just nine points this week. Completing the SEC trio in the top four are No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Kentucky, each climbing four spots in the rankings.
UConn’s Struggles
After a successful streak of 17 consecutive wins, UConn’s fortunes changed drastically during the Maui Invitational. They faced difficulties, starting with an opening-round overtime defeat against Memphis, leading to coach Dan Hurley’s frustration with the officiating. Their losing streak continued with another defeat against Colorado and a loss to Dayton in the seventh-place game, leaving them last in the tournament. UConn’s slide, reminiscent of No. 2 Arizona’s fall in 2017, almost cost them their ranking entirely.
New Teams and Rankings Shake-up
This week saw a broader reshuffling of the rankings, with six new teams breaking into the poll. Oregon made a significant climb, jumping 26 spots after winning the Players Era Festival by beating Alabama. Marquette, Purdue, and No. 13 Florida all rose five spots, while No. 11 Wisconsin joined Tennessee and Kentucky in moving up by four. Despite seven teams dropping out of last week’s ranking, Kansas and No. 23 Mississippi maintained their positions.
Teams in Decline
Houston experienced the most considerable drop, falling 11 spots to No. 17 after losing to Alabama and No. 24 San Diego State. North Carolina also slipped, dropping eight spots to No. 20 following losses to Auburn and Michigan State in Maui. Gonzaga found itself falling four places to seventh after losing their opener in the Battle 4 Atlantis against West Virginia.
Farewell for Now
Several teams have dropped out of the rankings this week, including Indiana (No. 14), Arkansas (No. 19), Creighton (No. 21), Xavier (No. 22), Arizona (No. 24), and Mississippi State (No. 25).
Conference Standing
The SEC emerged as the conference with the most ranked teams, boasting eight, followed by the Big 12 with five. The Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference each had three ranked teams, while the West Coast, American Athletic, and Mountain West conferences accounted for one ranked team each.
Where to Stay Updated
For ongoing updates and alerts regarding the AP Top 25 throughout the season, sign up here. For AP college basketball coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball.
