AP Top 25: Duke drops in updated college basketball rankings after first loss

For the first time in a few weeks, there was movement among the top-ranked teams in the AP Top 25 college basketball poll. Arizona and Michigan remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, but Duke then fell away suffered its first loss of the season against Texas Tech.

The Blue Devils fell three spots to No. 6 after the 82-81 loss. Duke led by as many as 17 points before Texas Tech stormed back in the second half to post one of the most impressive wins of any team this season. After the win, the Red Raiders jumped four spots to No. 15.

Arizona, now 11-0, remained at No. 1 for the third week in a row, but No. 2 Michigan is closing in. Arizona received 38 first-place votes, ahead of Michigan’s 19, but the Wildcats were only 20 points (1,428 to 1,408) ahead of the Wolverines in this week’s poll.

Another undefeated team, 12-0 Iowa State, was next at No. 3, while No. 4 UConn and No. 5 Purdue rounded out the top five. Those three teams all moved up one spot, with Duke falling to No. 6.

AP Top 25

1. Arizona (38)
2. Michigan (19)
3. Iowa State (1)
4. UConn
5.Purdue
6. Duke
7. Gonzaga
8. Houston
9. Michigan State
10. BYU
11.Vanderbilt
12. North Carolina
13.Nebraska
14.Alabama
15. Texas Technology
16.Louisville
17. Kansas
18.Arkansas
19. Tennessee
20.Illinois
21.Virginia
22. Florida
23. Georgia
24. USC
25. Iowa

Others receiving votes: Kentucky 78, Seton Hall 49, Auburn 39, St. John’s 23, California 19, LSU 17, UCLA 13, Clemson 9, Miami (Ohio) 6, Utah State 5, Arizona State 5, Indiana 4, Miami 4, Saint Louis 3, Belmont 2, Baylor 1, Oklahoma State 1, UCF 1, NC State 1.

Michigan gets a boost after losing to Duke

Michigan remained at No. 2 in the poll this week, but the gap between the Wolverines and top-ranked Arizona is closing. The Wolverines received 15 first-place votes last week and 19 this week. Michigan, Arizona and Iowa State were the only teams to receive first-place votes.

Duke received three first-place votes last week, but received none this week after its loss to Texas Tech. It appears Arizona won’t be vaulted by No. 1 Michigan, Iowa State or any other team in the poll until it loses. The Wildcats had an early scare against San Diego State last weekend, but pulled away in the final stretch.

North Carolina does not move up despite victory over Ohio State

One of the best stories of the season that may fly under the radar is North Carolina’s play. The Tar Heels remained at No. 12 despite a dramatic win over Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic. UNC big man Henri Veesaar scored the go-ahead goal with 7.2 seconds left, and his team was able to get a stop on the defensive end to secure a 71-70 victory. North Carolina won its third game this season against a Quad 1 opponent after going 1-13 against those teams last season.

While North Carolina didn’t advance this week, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so once conference play gets underway across the country.

Auburn drops out of the poll

Since January 1, 2024, Auburn has been a fixture in the AP Top 25… until now. The Tigers fell out of the polls for the first time in almost two years after suffering a blowout loss to Purdue last weekend. Last season’s No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament is 8-4 with losses to Purdue, Houston, Michigan and Arizona.