Five takeaways from AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll

This week’s Associated Press Top 25 men’s basketball poll, released on Monday, features some movement among the top five and some risers and fallers throughout the poll as the final week of the regular season arrives for most teams and conference tournaments get underway for others.

Here are five takeaways from the poll:

Tennessee moves up after buzzer-beating win over Alabama

After the game-winning buzzer-beater three from senior Jahmai Mashack on Saturday, Tennessee (24-5, 11-5 SEC), up one spot to No. 4, had the most exhilarating win of the week of all the top five teams.

It was Tennessee’s first buzzer-beater from behind the arc since Lamonte Turner’s corner triple against VCU in 2019. The most impressive part of the entire game was Tennessee’s ability to slow down the Crimson Tide’s top-ranked offense in the country (91 PPG). The 76 points allowed was only the second time in conference play that Alabama has failed to reach 80 points.

That kind of defensive intensity has Tennessee in position to be a top four seed in the SEC Tournament if it can take care of business against unranked Ole Miss and South Carolina this week. If the momentum carries over, expect Tennessee to be a strong contender for the SEC Tournament championship and a tough out in the NCAA Tournament.

St. John’s rises after ending 40-year drought

For the first time since 1985, St. John’s (26-4, 17-2 Big East), up one spot to No. 6, is outright Big East regular-season champions following a 71-61 win over Seton Hall on Saturday. According to ESPN Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi, the Red Storm are a projected four-seed. If they keep taking care of business, though, that will likely improve before selections are made on March 16.

St. John’s is led by three players in double-figures in juniors RJ Luis Jr. (17.8 PPG) and Zuby Ejiofor (14 PPG) and senior Kadary Richmond (12.8 PPG). The Red Storm are also the ninth-best rebounding team in the country (40.67 RPG), making it difficult to beat them even when the shots are not falling.

Louisville gains five spots after winning seventh straight

With seven straight wins, Louisville (23-6, 16-2 ACC), up five spots to No. 14, is tied for its most conference wins in a season in program history after it previously went 16-2 in the Big East in 2008-09. 

The Cardinals have gone from failing to win 10 games each of the last two seasons to being a top three seed in the ACC and a team that is solidly in the NCAA Tournament under first-year head coach Pat Kelsey. Each of Louisville’s seven wins during its winning streak have come against teams that are not currently in the NCAA Tournament, so it should be interesting to see how the Cardinals fare against stiffer competition.

Michigan suffers another setback following historic home loss

Michigan (22-7, 14-4 Big Ten), falls two spots to No. 17 after a 93-73 loss to unranked Illinois on Sunday. That was the program’s worst loss at home against an unranked opponent since a 93-72 loss to Duke in 1967.

After winning six straight, the Wolverines have split their last four, including a 75-62 loss to then-No. 14 Michigan State on Feb. 21. The Spartans now possess five straight wins over Quad 1 opponents and a one-game lead over Michigan in the conference standings With the two teams set for a rematch on Sunday, a win over No. 13 Maryland on Wednesday would give the Wolverines a shot of clinching at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.

Texas A&M experiences biggest drop in rankings

Following a pair of losses last week and a four-game losing streak overall, Texas A&M (20-9, 9-7 SEC), down 10 spots to No. 22, has fallen prey to the SEC gauntlet. The Aggies have lost to Tennessee and Florida during that stretch and host No. 1 Auburn on Tuesday. Those are three of the top five teams in the country.

Texas A&M has shot less than 40 percent in each of its last four losses. While the Aggies are sixth in rebounding (40.79 RPG), the shooting must improve with only two regular-season games remaining.