Following their victory over Michigan, Duke has once again ascended to the top spot: No. 1 in the Associated Press men’s college basketball rankings.
The Blue Devils advanced two positions to lead Monday’s poll, extending their all-time record for most No. 1 appearances to 148.
With a 25-2 record, Duke garnered 56 out of 61 first-place votes, displacing Michigan (also 25-2) after their 68-63 triumph over the Wolverines in Washington on Saturday.
This decisive win occurred in a showdown between the top two squads in the NCAA men’s selection committee’s initial top 16 seeds for March Madness, which had been unveiled just hours prior to the game.
Entering the current week, the Blue Devils boast a national-leading 12 Quadrant 1 victories, complemented by nine wins against teams ranked in the AP Top 25.
This most recent victory has propelled the Blue Devils to the No. 1 position for the second consecutive season under the guidance of fourth-year coach Jon Scheyer. The previous season’s Final Four contender held the top spot in the final two polls leading into the NCAA tournament, marking Duke’s initial return to No. 1 since Scheyer succeeded retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski in 2022.
Arizona climbed two places to No. 2, having defeated BYU and secured a road victory against Houston, thereby earning the remaining five first-place votes. Michigan dropped to No. 3, ending its first stint at No. 1 since January 2013 after only a single week at the summit. They were followed by Big 12 powerhouses Iowa State and Houston.
The Elite Group
UConn slipped one position to No. 6 following a week that saw them suffer a home defeat to Creighton. Meanwhile, defending national champion Florida soared five places to No. 7, re-entering the top 10 for the first time since late November. The Gators, initially ranked No. 3 preseason, briefly fell out of the rankings in early January but have since secured seven consecutive wins and 12 out of their last 13.
Purdue, Gonzaga, and Illinois completed the top 10 rankings.
NCAA Selection Committee Compared to AP Top 25
In Saturday’s disclosure of the preliminary top 16 seeds, the selection committee designated Michigan, Duke, Arizona, and Iowa State as the No. 1 seeds. The Cyclones narrowly surpassed UConn and Houston for the final 1-seed, a decision influenced by the Huskies’ loss to Creighton and Iowa State’s subsequent direct victory over Houston early last week, ultimately securing the vote for T.J. Otzelberger’s team.
Monday’s poll generally mirrors the committee’s announcement, featuring the identical four teams at the apex, albeit in an altered sequence. Notably, Iowa State climbed two positions despite their Saturday loss to what is now No. 19 BYU.
Furthermore, the AP Top 25 and the committee concur on 15 teams being included within the top 16 seeds. The sole discrepancy is St. John’s, positioned at No. 15 in the AP poll, occupying a spot that the committee had assigned to Vanderbilt. The Commodores, seeded 15th overall by the committee on Saturday, subsequently descended to No. 25 in Monday’s poll.
Climbing Up
Alabama made the most significant leap of the week, ascending eight places to No. 17. This surge followed an exhilarating double-overtime home triumph against Arkansas and a road victory at LSU, extending the Crimson Tide’s winning streak to six games.
Florida achieved the second-largest gain of the week, while BYU advanced four spots after their loss to Arizona and win against Iowa State.
Overall, a total of 11 teams improved their standing from the previous week’s rankings.
Falling Down
Kansas, ranked No. 14, experienced the week’s most significant drop, falling six positions, similar to Vanderbilt. The Jayhawks’ decline follows a 16-point home defeat to Cincinnati, a team that had struggled in early February but has since secured four consecutive victories.
Last week, the Commodores suffered losses at Missouri and at home against Tennessee, bringing their record to 5-6 since an impressive 16-0 opening run that had placed them at a No. 10 ranking by mid-January.
Saint Louis plunged five places to No. 23 after their loss at Rhode Island last week brought an end to their 18-game winning streak. Concurrently, 11 teams descended from their previous week’s positions but managed to retain a spot in the poll.
No Change
Illinois and No. 20 Arkansas were the sole two teams that maintained their ranking from the previous week.
New Entrants and Exits
Tennessee emerged as the only new team to enter the rankings, landing at No. 22. The Volunteers’ ascent follows victories over Oklahoma and Vanderbilt last week, extending their winning streak to four games. This marks the third appearance in the poll for Rick Barnes’ squad, which was unranked for two weeks in mid-January, reappeared at No. 25 for one week in early February, and then dropped out again for the subsequent two weeks.
Wisconsin, having dropped from No. 24 following their loss at Ohio State last week, was replaced by the Vols.
Conference Breakdown
The Big 12 topped all conferences with six teams in the rankings, while both the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference each contributed five. The Atlantic Coast Conference followed with four ranked teams, and the Big East had two.
The West Coast Conference, Mid-American Conference, and Atlantic 10 each featured a single ranked team.