Arizona remains No. 1 in AP Top 25,
Michigan jumps UConn for No. 2
[February 03, 2026]
By DAVE SKRETTA
Arizona remained the unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men's college
basketball poll Monday while Michigan jumped over UConn and into
second place following wins over previously unbeaten Nebraska and
rival Michigan State.
The Wildcats, who are off to a school-record 22-0 start, earned all
59 votes from a national media panel to stay atop the poll for the
eighth consecutive week. UConn and Michigan were followed by Duke
and Illinois in rounding out the top five.
“We value steadiness,” said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, whose team
visits Oklahoma State on Saturday before a four-game grinder against
Kansas, Texas Tech, BYU and Houston. “A lot of of people talk about
momentum, momentum, momentum. I understand what momentum is, but I
think there’s way more value in being steady and consistent.”
If the Wildcats beat the Cowboys, they would set a school record
with their 23rd consecutive win. This bunch is currently tied with
Arizona teams from 1914-17 that won 22 in a row under its arena
namesake, Pop McKale, over a three-year span.
Gonzaga remained at No. 6 while Iowa State and Houston climbed one
spot apiece. The Huskers fell four spots to No. 9 after losses to
Michiganand the Illini, while the Spartans fell three spots to No.
10 after beating Rutgers and their own loss to the Wolverines.
The losses by Nebraska left only Arizona and No. 23 Miami (Ohio)
unbeaten in Division I men's college basketball.
“Obviously, back-to-back losses, we just have to look at the film
and learn from it,” Huskers forward Pryce Sandfort said. “Keep our
heads high and flush it as we get ready for Rutgers this week.”
Kansas climbed three spots to No. 11 following its win over BYU on
Saturday, while Purdue remained at No. 12 and Texas Tech — which
played the Jayhawks on Monday night — was at No. 13. North Carolina
and Vanderbilt rounded out the first 15.
BYU, Florida, Virginia, Saint Louis and Clemson were next. The
Billikens, who have won 15 consecutive games, have reached their
best ranking since March 10, 2014, when they were at No. 18 the year
they won the Atlantic 10 championship.
Arkansas, St. John's, Miami (Ohio), Louisville and Tennessee held
down the final five spots in the Top 25. The RedHawks bumped up one
from last week and are at their highest point since they were No. 22
on Nov. 30, 1998.
[to top of second column] |
Arizona forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) drives on Arizona State forward
Santiago Trouet during the first half of an NCAA college basketball
game, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick
Scuteri)
“The further you go," RedHawks coach Travis Steele
said following a win over Northern Illinois on Saturday, “the harder
it gets.”
Rising and falling
Kansas, Vanderbilt and St. John's made up the most ground this week,
climbing three spots apiece, while the Volunteers — who were ranked
as high as No. 13 this season — climbed back into the poll at No. 25
after two weeks out of it.
Tennessee returned at the expense of Alabama. The Crimson Tide had
the fifth-longest active poll streak snapped at 42.
Update on the NET
The latest NET rankings released Sunday, which the NCAA uses to help
select its tournament field, installed Duke at No. 1 with the
Wildcats second and Michigan third. The rest of the rankings largely
mirrored the AP poll with one notable exception: The RedHawks were
at No. 53 in the NET rankings by virtue of a soft schedule that has
produced no Quad 1 win.
Conference watch
The Big 12 led with six teams in the Top 25, while the Big Ten and
ACC had five apiece — though the Big Ten had four of its five in the
top 10. The SEC had four ranked teams, the Big East had two and the
West Coast, A-10 and MAC had one apiece.
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