Auburn unanimous No. 1 in AP Top 25 College Football Poll; Alabama remains No. 4
Auburn guard Chad Baker-Mazara (10) celebrates after an NCAA college basketball game against Georgia, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
A wild week of upsets and court stormings led to a massive shakeup in the AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll.
But the one constant is Auburn.
The Tigers were the unanimous pick at No. 1 in this week’s poll, holding on to the top spot following a week in which 19 ranked teams lost at least once, including seven teams in the top 10.
Auburn claimed the program’s second No. 1 ranking last week and won both its games despite playing without injured big man Johni Broome. The Tigers rolled over No. 14 Mississippi State 88-66 and survived a late comeback to beat then-No. 19 Georgia 70-68.
No. 2 Duke moved up a spot after winning both of its games last week and swapped places with No. 3 Iowa State, which blew out No. 12 Kansas but lost to No. 23 West Virginia.
Alabama and Florida rounded out the top five despite each losing a game last week.
Only three teams — Alabama, Florida and No. 6 Tennessee — held the same spot from a week ago. The chaotic week allowed No. 8 Michigan State to move into the top 10 for the first time this season and No. 22 Missouri into the poll for the first time since 2022-23.
AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll (first-place votes in parentheses, SEC teams in bold):
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn (62) | 17-1 | 1,550 | 1 |
| 2 | Duke | 16-2 | 1,485 | 3 |
| 3 | Iowa State | 15-2 | 1,397 | 2 |
| 4 | Alabama | 15-3 | 1,338 | 4 |
| 5 | Florida | 16-2 | 1,262 | 5 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 16-2 | 1,170 | 6 |
| 7 | Houston | 14-3 | 1,151 | 10 |
| 8 | Michigan State | 16-2 | 1,109 | 12 |
| 9 | Kentucky | 14-4 | 1,057 | 8 |
| 10 | Marquette | 15-3 | 950 | 7 |
| 11 | Purdue | 15-4 | 906 | 17 |
| 12 | Kansas | 13-4 | 902 | 9 |
| 13 | Texas A&M | 14-4 | 794 | 11 |
| 14 | Mississippi State | 15-3 | 731 | 15 |
| 15 | Oregon | 15-3 | 638 | 13 |
| 16 | Ole Miss | 15-3 | 564 | 21 |
| 17 | Illinois | 13-5 | 526 | 19 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 15-3 | 437 | 24 |
| 19 | UConn | 13-5 | 365 | 14 |
| 20 | St. John’s | 16-3 | 320 | NR |
| 21 | Michigan | 14-4 | 305 | 20 |
| 22 | Missouri | 15-3 | 275 | NR |
| 23 | West Virginia | 13-4 | 240 | NR |
| 24 | Memphis | 14-4 | 232 | 18 |
| 25 | Louisville | 14-5 | 125 | NR |
Other teams receiving votes: Texas Tech 104, Utah St. 38, Vanderbilt 35, Gonzaga 34, Georgia 30, Clemson 30, Arizona 21,
Saint Mary’s 12, Cincinnati 4, Baylor 4, UC Irvine 3, Wake Forest 2, Creighton 2, Bradley 1, Maryland 1.
Rising and falling
No. 11 Purdue and No. 18 Wisconsin had the biggest jump among the teams in the poll, each climbing six spots. No. 16 Ole Miss is up five places after splitting games against No. 4 Alabama and No. 14 Mississippi State.
No. 24 Memphis had the week’s biggest drop, losing six places after losing to Temple and beating Charlotte. Two-time NCAA champion UConn lost five places to No. 19 after seeing its 28-game home winning streak end in a 68-63 loss to Creighton.
Welcome back
No. 22 Missouri is ranked for the first time this year after ending Florida’s 16-game home winning streak and posting an 18-point win over Arkansas. No. 23 West Virginia is back in the poll after taking down Iowa State.
Louisville had not been ranked since reaching No. 25 on Jan. 25, 2021.
Farewell (for now)
Three ranked teams lost both of their games last week and dropped out of the poll.
Gonzaga lost to Oregon State and Santa Clara, falling out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since early last year. Georgia dropped out from No. 23 following losses to Tennessee and Auburn. Baylor, No. 25 a week ago, is out after after losses to Arizona and TCU.
Utah State’s stint in the AP Top 25 lasted two weeks. The Aggies dropped out from No. 22 following a 65-62 loss to UNLV.
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