AP Top 25 Basketball Poll: Alabama drops out following blowout loss to Florida

Alabama head coach Nate Oats signals to his players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

Alabama has fallen out of the AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll following its 100-77 blowout loss to Florida.

This is the first time this season that Alabama is unranked. It had been No. 23 this past week, beating Missouri at home before falling to Florida, the reigning national champions.

Alabama is now the second-highest ranked team outside the poll, after Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide has 48 votes.

Elsewhere, Arizona remained the unanimous No. 1 while Michigan jumped over UConn and into second place following wins over previously unbeaten Nebraska and rival Michigan State.

The Wildcats, who are off to a school-record 22-0 start, earned all 59 votes from a national media panel to stay atop the poll for the eighth consecutive week. UConn and Michigan were followed by Duke and Illinois in rounding out the top five.

“We value steadiness,” said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, whose team visits Oklahoma State on Saturday before a four-game grinder against Kansas, Texas Tech, BYU and Houston. “A lot of of people talk about momentum, momentum, momentum. I understand what momentum is, but I think there’s way more value in being steady and consistent.”

If the Wildcats beat the Cowboys, they would set a school record with their 23rd consecutive win. This bunch is currently tied with Arizona teams from 1914-17 that won 22 in a row under its arena namesake, Pop McKale, over a three-year span.

Gonzaga remained at No. 6 while Iowa State and Houston climbed one spot apiece. The Huskers fell four spots to No. 9 after losses to Michiganand the Illini, while the Spartans fell three spots to No. 10 after beating Rutgers and their own loss to the Wolverines.

The losses by Nebraska left only Arizona and No. 23 Miami (Ohio) unbeaten in Division I men’s college basketball.

AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll (SEC teams in bold):

1. Arizona
2. Michigan
3. UConn
4. Duke
5. Illinois
6. Gonzaga
7. Iowa State
8. Houston
9. Nebraska
10. Michigan State
11. Kansas
12. Purdue
13. Texas Tech
14. North Carolina
15. Vanderbilt
16. BYU
17. Florida
18. Virginia
19. St. Louis
20. Clemson
21. Arkansas
22. St. John’s
23. Miami (Ohio)
24. Louisville
25. Tennessee

Others receiving votes:  Texas A&M 83, Alabama 48, Iowa 39, UCF 39, Kentucky 28, Villanova 15, NC State 9, Auburn 8, Utah St. 6, Miami 4, Georgia 3, Santa Clara 1, George Mason 1, Wisconsin 1.

Rising and falling

Kansas, Vanderbilt and St. John’s made up the most ground this week, climbing three spots apiece, while the Volunteers — who were ranked as high as No. 13 this season — climbed back into the poll at No. 25 after two weeks out of it.

Tennessee returned at the expense of Alabama.

Update on the NET

The latest NET rankings released Sunday, which the NCAA uses to help select its tournament field, installed Duke at No. 1 with the Wildcats second and Michigan third. The rest of the rankings largely mirrored the AP poll with one notable exception: The RedHawks were at No. 53 in the NET rankings by virtue of a soft schedule that has produced no Quad 1 win.

Conference watch

The Big 12 led with six teams in the Top 25, while the Big Ten and ACC had five apiece — though the Big Ten had four of its five in the top 10. The SEC had four ranked teams, the Big East had two and the West Coast, A-10 and MAC had one apiece.

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