Arizona, Michigan stay 1-2 in AP
Top 25 men's poll; No. 15 Nebraska hits highest mark since 1991
[December 16, 2025]
By AARON BEARD
No. 1 Arizona and No. 2 Michigan remained locked in place atop The
Associated Press men's college basketball poll released Monday while
No. 15 Nebraska jumped to its highest Top 25 ranking in nearly 35
years.
The Wildcats had 42 of 61 first-place votes to hold the top spot
while the Wolverines received 15 to keep the teams at 1-2 for a
second consecutive week.
The Wildcats (9-0) rallied from a halftime deficit Saturday to claim
a 21-point win against then-No. 12 Alabama in the Crimson Tide’s
home state, adding to a list of victories against ranked opponents
that includes reigning national champion Florida, at UConn and
Auburn.
The Wolverines (10-0) have won their last seven games by at least 18
points, a run that includes romps against Auburn (102-72) and
Gonzaga (101-61). And Michigan sits atop analytics rankings by
KenPom, Evan Miyakawa and Bart Torvik.
The top tier
The top 10 was largely unchanged, with No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 8
Houston swapping spots from last week the only new wrinkle. No. 3
Duke (three) and No. 4 Iowa State (one) were the only other teams to
earn first-place votes.
UConn and Purdue were next after the Cyclones, and Michigan State
and BYU rounded out the top 10.
Rising
The Cornhuskers (11-0) had the week's biggest jump of eight spots
after Saturday's win at then-No. 13 Illinois on a buzzer-beating
3-pointer. Nebraska has not been ranked this high since it was No.
11 in March 1991 for the final poll of that season.
Nebraska had been ranked just 15 times in the more than three
decades since, then jumped in at No. 23 last week.
No. 14 Arkansas climbed three spots after beating then-No. 16 Texas
Tech over the weekend, while No. 12 North Carolina, No. 13
Vanderbilt and No. 17 Kansas each rose two spots.
In all, seven teams moved up from last week.
[to top of second column] |
Alabama forward Amari Allen (5) shoots and hits a three-point shot
over the defense of Alabama forward Taylor Bol Bowen (7) during the
second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 13,
2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Sliding
The now-No. 18 Illini and 23rd-ranked Florida had the week's biggest
slides, with each falling five spots. Alabama fell four spots after
losing to Arizona and Texas Tech slid three, joining Houston as the
week's five teams to drop.
Nearly half of the poll (12 teams) held their positions from the
previous week.
Comings and goings
Georgia was the lone new addition to the poll, moving in at No. 25
to replace UCLA. This marks only the third time the Bulldogs have
been ranked since the 2002-03 season, the others coming in January
2011 (No. 24) and last January (No. 23).
Conference watch
The Southeastern Conference has the most ranked teams with seven,
though none higher than Vanderbilt at No. 13.
The Big 12 was next with six ranked teams, including four in the top
10 and two in the top five, followed by the Big Ten with five and
the Atlantic Coast Conference with four. Each of those three leagues
have at least three teams ranked higher than anyone in the SEC.
The Big East (two) and West Coast Conference (one) rounded out the
roll call.
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