iowa-state.png
Getty

Entering last weekend, six Division I college basketball teams stood as undefeated. That number shrank to five after Michigan suffered an upset home loss to Wisconsin as a 19.5-point favorite. That result caused some shakeup in the second AP Top 25 college basketball poll of 2026, with Iowa State moving to No. 2 as a result.

With the loss to Wisconsin, Michigan dropped two spots to No. 4. The Wolverines also had an upset scare earlier in the week against Penn State, but escaped with a 74-72 win after the Nittany Lions missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

College basketball rankings: Why it could be a while before undefeated Vanderbilt loses its first game
Gary Parrish
College basketball rankings: Why it could be a while before undefeated Vanderbilt loses its first game

With Iowa State moving up one spot to No. 2 in the poll, it ties its highest ranking in program history. The Cyclones checked in at No. 2 in the poll last season, which was (at the time) the highest ranking in program history. Iowa State sits at 16-0 entering the week, with a critical showdown on the road against Kansas looming.

Speaking of the Jayhawks, Kansas dropped out of the poll after another loss in Big 12 play. Kansas fell to 1-2 against Big 12 competition after suffering an 86-75 loss to West Virginia. The Jayhawks earned their first conference win of the season earlier in the week after a dramatic comeback win against TCU.

AP Top 25

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sunday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week's ranking:

Rank Team Record Points Prev.
1 Arizona (60) 16-0 1,524 1
2 Iowa State (1) 16-0 1,448 3
3 UConn 16-1 1,358 4
4 Michigan 14-1 1,300 2
5 Purdue 15-1 1,253 5
6 Duke 15-1 1,237 6
7 Houston 15-1 1,130 7
8 Nebraska 16-0 1,056 10
9 Gonzaga 17-1 1,050 8
10 Vanderbilt 16-0 1,035 11
11 BYU 15-1 1,013 9
12 Michigan State 14-2 865 12
13 Illinois 13-3 778 16
14 North Carolina 14-2 659 17
15 Texas Tech 12-4 609 14
16 Virginia 14-2 515 23
17 Arkansas 12-4 492 15
18 Alabama 11-5 470 13
19 Florida 11-5 349 NR
20 Louisville 12-4 336 20
21 Georgia 14-2 227 18
22 Clemson 14-3 218 NR
23 Utah State 14-1 161 NR
24 Tennessee 11-5 140 21
25 Seton Hall 14-2 136 NR

Others receiving votes: Saint Louis 92, Kansas 60, Iowa 58, Miami (Ohio) 49, Villanova 40, Wisconsin 37, Miami 30, Texas A&M 23, UCF 18, Saint Mary's 17, SMU 15, Auburn 14, George Mason 8, NC State 3, USC 1, St. John's 1.

Arizona (almost) unanimously No. 1

Last week's AP poll featured one of the tightest races for the top spot. This week, it was different after Michigan suffered an upset loss to Wisconsin. That opened the door for Arizona to gain ground on the No. 1 spot, and that's exactly what the Wildcats did. Arizona received 60 of the 61 possible first-place votes after securing wins over Kansas State and TCU. The Wildcats have one of the best resumes in the country, boasting wins over Florida, UCLA, UConn, Alabama, and Auburn. The next test for the Wildcats will come on the road against BYU later this month.

Undefeated teams get a boost in the rankings

Arizona is one of five undefeated teams remaining in college basketball. Three of the other four teams received a boost in the rankings this week. Iowa State moved up one spot to No. 2, Nebraska moved up two spots to No. 8 and Vanderbilt entered the top 10 after moving up one spot. The lone undefeated team not in the rankings is Miami (Ohio). The RedHawks received the fourth-most votes in the "others receiving votes" section behind Saint Louis, Kansas and Iowa. Miami is 17-0 with a 5-0 record in MAC play.