The sixth AP Top 25 poll of the 2025-26 season released, and the top of the rankings remained generally unchanged. After jumping to No. 1 last week over Michigan and Duke, Arizona held firm at the top spot and received 42 first-place votes.
The Wildcats added to one of the best résumés in the country by defeating Alabama 96-75. Arizona boasts five ranked wins: Florida, UCLA, UConn, Alabama and Auburn. Michigan received the second-most first-place votes (15) after defeating Villanova and Maryland. Duke, another team that challenged for the No. 1 spot, was idle.
Speaking of the Big Ten, one of the best stories in the sport is brewing. Nebraska jumped eight spots to No. 15 after pulling off a dramatic 83-80 win over Illinois on the road after Jamarques Lawrence knocked down a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining.
The Cornhuskers are 11-0 for the first time in program history, including a 2-0 start in Big Ten play. Nebraska is one of five teams from the Big Ten which opened the season 2-0 in conference play. Nebraska earned its highest ranking since 1991.
College basketball rankings: Top-ranked Michigan, No. 2 Arizona may stay in respective slots for a while
Gary Parrish
Reigning national champion Florida dropped five spots to No. 23 after falling to UConn. The Gators sit at 6-4 with less than three weeks remaining until SEC play begins. Florida is 0-3 against ranked opponents thus far.
AP Top 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sunday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:
Rank Team Record Points Prev. 1 Arizona (42) 9-0 1,500 1 2 Michigan (15) 10-0 1,470 2 3 Duke (3) 10-0 1,406 3 4 Iowa State (1) 11-0 1,336 4 5 UConn 10-1 1,286 5 6 Purdue 10-1 1,195 6 7 Gonzaga 10-1 1,109 8 8 Houston 10-1 1,079 7 9 Michigan State 9-1 1,037 9 10 BYU 9-1 1,017 10 11 Louisville 9-1 921 11 12 North Carolina 9-1 794 14 13 Vanderbilt 10-0 766 15 14 Arkansas 8-2 726 17 15 Nebraska 11-0 655 23 16 Alabama 7-3 644 12 17 Kansas 8-3 502 19 18 Illinois 8-3 483 13 19 Texas Tech 7-3 314 16 20 Tennessee 7-3 286 20 21 Auburn 8-3 283 21 22 St. John’s 6-3 250 22 T23 Florida 6-4 200 18 T23 Virginia 9-1 200 24 25 Georgia 9-1 82 NR
Others receiving votes: USC 68, Iowa 47, Seton Hall 46, LSU 19, Kentucky 19, UCLA 16, Clemson 14, California 13, Saint Mary’s 12, Arizona State 5, Villanova 5, Notre Dame 4, Indiana 4, Miami (Ohio) 4, Miami 4, Utah State 2, Saint Louis 1, Wisconsin 1.
Voters still favor Arizona at No. 1
It’s not a surprise that Arizona held firm at No. 1 this week. The Wildcats recorded a statement win against Alabama and have one of the best résumés in college basketball. Although Michigan recorded a blowout win over Villanova and a victory over Maryland in Big Ten play, it wasn’t enough to swing the voters this week. Truthfully, Arizona will likely hold on to the No. 1 spot until when/if it loses. Michigan’s next big game is against USC on Jan. 2. Duke was idle this week. However, the Blue Devils have a key matchup against Texas Tech this weekend.
Welcome to the poll, Georgia
For the first time this season, Georgia has entered the poll. The Bulldogs checked in at No. 25 after improving to 9-1 with a win over Cincinnati last week. Georgia’s lone loss this season came against Clemson in a 97-94 thriller. Since that loss, the Bulldogs have won three consecutive games. Last season, Georgia was ranked once in the AP poll. The next test for the Bulldogs will come against Auburn on Jan. 3 in their SEC opener.
