Tomorrow's Top 25 Today: Arizona slated to earn unanimous No. 1 status as Iowa State, Vanderbilt plummet
Iowa State and Vanderbilt are set to plummet after going from unbeaten to two-loss teams in the span of the last week
By
Kyle Boone
•
5 min read
On Monday afternoon, there will be a unanimous No. 1 team in an in-season AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll for a seventh consecutive season. The Arizona Wildcats will earn all 61 first-place votes in the poll after earning 60 last week, made possible after Iowa State -- which earned the other first-place vote last Monday -- lost twice in two outings this week.
Arizona's death grip on No. 1 is one of many notable changes coming to the poll Monday. I'm also anticipating UConn to rise to No. 2 while extending its streak of appearances inside the top five to 11 weeks. Also likely among the risers will be Purdue, Duke and Houston.
Previously undefeated teams falling will largely be the underlying theme of the Week 11 poll Monday. Not only will Iowa State (which went from 16-0 to 16-2 this week) drop from No. 2 to out of the top five -- but so, too, will Vanderbilt (which also went from 16-0 to 16-2 this week). The Commodores' two losses comes the same week it climbed to its highest spot in the poll, No. 10, which will send it back outside the top-10 range once again.
Plenty of other movement is expected in the poll Monday as well, and I am -- perhaps naively -- expecting voters to wise up and rank several worthy mid-major teams in Saint Louis and Miami (OH). The latter improved to 19-0 with a thrilling overtime win over Buffalo on Saturday, while the former squashed Richmond at home to get to 17-1 -- its best start to a season since the 1993-94 season.
Neither have been ranked this season. That should change Monday.
| 1 |  |
| Monday will be the sixth consecutive week for Arizona at No. 1 in the AP poll. It won twice vs. Big 12 foes this week to improve to 18-0 overall. | |
| 2 |  |
| UConn should be in line to move to No. 2 Monday, its highest ranking in the AP Top 25 since Week 4 of the 2024-25 season. The Huskies have climbed one spot each of the last two weeks and could leap past Iowa State after the Cyclones lost twice this week. | |
| 3 |  |
| Following its first loss of the season to Wisconsin on Jan. 10, Michigan bounced back into the win column this week with two double-digit wins. The Wolverines (16-1) have 13 double-digit wins on the season. | |
| 4 |  |
| Purdue -- with its one loss on the season to Iowa State -- extended its winning streak to nine games this week. The preseason No. 1 Boilermakers should move up one spot Monday, which would be its highest ranking since Week 5 when it was then-No. 1. | |
| 5 |  |
| Duke vanquished Cal and Stanford on its West Coast swing this week and returns home with a 17-1 overall record and perfect 5-0 mark in ACC play. It is primed to move into the top five this week. | |
| 6 |  |
| Two Big 12 teams are perfect in league play: the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats and the Houston Cougars. Houston won its 11th consecutive game Sunday vs. Arizona State and is 17-1 -- fast approaching its best start to a season under Kelvin Sampson. | |
| 7 |  |
| I have Nebraska moving up one spot here this week. But at 18-0, even with a resume that doesn't quite match up with some of the teams ranked above it, there's a real chance voters move the Cornhuskers up a big chunk. | |
| 8 |  |
| Two road wins vs. Washington State and Seattle by 21 points each should push the Zags up at least one spot this week after dropping from No. 8 to No. 9 last week. | |
| 9 |  |
| Falling from No. 2 to No. 9 would be a steep drop, but Iowa State lost not once but twice this week. That could put it among the highest-ranked two-loss teams but below the undefeated and one-loss teams. | |
| 10 |  |
| Losses by BYU and Vanderbilt opened the door for Michigan State to move back into the top 10 on Monday. It has won eight of its last nine games and is 16-2 on the season. | |
| 11 |  |
| With seven consecutive wins and a 6-1 Big Ten record, Illinois is due for a move up the poll for a fourth consecutive week. It beat Northwestern and Minnesota by double figures this week. | |
| 12 |  |
| Good chance Virginia is among the biggest risers in the poll this week. It scored two big wins over ACC foes Louisville and SMU -- both on the road -- this week. | |
| 13 |  |
| Texas Tech scored perhaps the best win of the week Saturday night in downing BYU, 84-71, in Lubbock. The Red Raiders defense held AJ Dybantsa to a season-low 13 points and limited BYU's high-flying offense to its second-lowest scoring output on the season. | |
| 14 |  |
| BYU's loss to Texas Tech snapped its 13-game winning streak. It has a one-week break before returning home Saturday to face Utah. | |
| 15 |  |
| Vandy went from 16-0 to 16-2 this week with losses to Texas and Florida. This would be a five-spot drop from last week but should put it right in line with some of the other top two-loss teams. | |
| 16 |  |
| After a two-loss week last week, Alabama rebounded with two impressive road wins over Mississippi State and Oklahoma, respectively. | |
| 17 |  |
| UNC has dropped three of its last four and heads into Monday in peril of being the biggest faller in the AP poll. It went 0-2 this week on its West Coast swing with losses to Stanford and Cal while giving up 95 and 84 points, respectively. | |
| 18 |  |
| The defending champion Florida Gators still don't have their groove, but they have quietly reeled off eight wins in their last nine outings, culminating with a takedown of Vanderbilt over the weekend. | |
| 19 |  |
| Clemson entered the rankings last week at No. 22 for the first time all season and will be moving into the top 20 of the poll Monday. It has won nine straight and gone more than one month since its last loss. | |
| 20 |  |
| A second loss in its last three outings will have Arkansas (13-5) slipping in the rankings Monday for a third consecutive week. | |
| 21 |  |
| With a healthy and active Darryn Peterson, Kansas won twice this week -- including a Tuesday win in which it dealt Iowa State its first loss of the season. The Jayhawks are poised to bounce back into the rankings after dropping out last week. | |
| 22 |  |
| Saint Louis received the most votes among unranked teams last week, and it could (and should) be among the top 25 this week. Now 17-1, the Billikens have won 11 straight, during which they have defeated VCU and Richmond, among others. | |
| 23 |  |
| Will this be the week voters move the undefeated RedHawks into the rankings? I say yes. They are 19-0 after an OT win Saturday over Buffalo. | |
| 24 |  |
| Three losses in its last five outings has Louisville on the brink of dropping out of the rankings after an 11-2 start to its season. I have the Cardinals projected to remain in the rankings, but only barely. | |
| 25 |  |
| Voters will likely keep Georgia in the rankings this week after a 1-1 week thanks to a resounding 90-76 win Saturday over Arkansas at home. The Bulldogs have two tough road tests upcoming this week vs. Mizzou and Texas. | |
