Men’s Basketball Poll Breakdown | BYU Rising, Kansas Slumping
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press men’s college basketball rankings, along with first-place votes in parentheses, and total points, which are based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, with the previous ranking.
RK., TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | PREV.
1. Auburn (60) | 25-2 | 1,500 | 1
2. Duke | 24-3 | 1,406 | 3
3. Florida | 24-3 | 1,397 | 2
4. Houston | 23-4 | 1,327 | 5
5. Tennessee | 22-5 | 1,236 | 6
6. Alabama | 22-5 | 1,198 | 4
7. St. John’s | 24-4 | 1,132 | 10
8. Michigan State | 22-5 | 1,055 | 14
9. Iowa State | 21-6 | 1,004 | 8
10. Texas Tech | 21-6 | 915 | 9
11. Wisconsin | 21-6 | 800 | 11
12. Texas A&M | 20-7 | 797 | 7
13. Clemson | 22-5 | 712 | 18
14. Missouri | 20-7 | 683 | 15
15. Michigan | 21-6 | 657 | 12
16. Maryland | 21-6 | 630 | 20
17. Kentucky | 18-9 | 461 | 17
18. Memphis | 22-5 | 393 | 22
19. Louisville | 21-6 | 372 | 25
20. Purdue | 19-9 | 328 | 13
21. Marquette | 20-7 | 309 | 16
22. Arizona | 18-9 | 289 | 19
23. Saint Mary’s | 25-4 | 284 | NR
24. Mississippi State | 19-8 | 264 | 21
25. BYU | 19-8 | 135 | NR
Others receiving votes: Creighton 53, Mississippi 28, Kansas 25, New Mexico 23, VCU 20, Oregon 20, UCLA 14, Drake 12, UC San Diego 8, Gonzaga 3, High Point 3, Illinois 3, Vanderbilt 2, Utah State 1, Yale 1.
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S TOP 25
Illinois beat writer Scott Richey is in his 10th season as an AP Top 25 voter. Here’s his 15th ballot of the 2024-25 season:
RK., TEAM | PREV.
1. Auburn | 1
2. Duke | 2
3. Florida | 3
4. Houston | 5
5. Tennessee | 7
6. St. John’s | 8
7. Alabama | 4
8. Michigan State | 18
9. Iowa State | 9
10. Texas Tech | 10
11. Maryland | 15
12. Texas A&M | 6
13. Missouri | 16
14. Wisconsin | 11
15. Mississippi State | 14
16. Clemson | 17
17. Michigan | 12
18. Memphis | 20
19. Louisville | NR
20. BYU | NR
21. Kentucky | 13
22. Marquette | 22
23. Arizona | 21
24. Saint Mary’s | NR
25. New Mexico | 24
Who’s up
BYU made its first AP Top 25 appearance at No. 25, after a coaching change from Mark Pope to Kevin Young and a roster overhaul, including the addition of freshmen Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings. The Cougars have been on a tear, winning eight of their last 10 games, highlighted by victories over ranked Kansas (by 34 points) and Arizona. Guard Richie Saunders has been key, averaging 18.2 points and 4.9 rebounds, while shooting 46% from three.
Who’s down
Kansas fell out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since February 2021, ending an 80-week streak. Despite a 32-point win against Oklahoma State, their poor form continued after a heavy loss to BYU. The Jayhawks have only won three of their last seven games, all at home. This slump leaves them in sixth place in the Big 12, a far cry from the consistency Bill Self’s teams once showed in the conference.
Who to watch
Saturday’s games feature multiple ranked matchups, especially in the SEC. But other conferences, like the Big Ten, also have key games, such as No. 16 Maryland facing No. 8 Michigan State on Wednesday. Maryland enters on a four-game win streak and looks to challenge the Spartans, who just took the top spot in the Big Ten standings after defeating Michigan. Michigan State’s challenging final stretch also includes a home game on Sunday against No. 11 Wisconsin.
