We’re into the back half of January, and (regular season) conference title races are beginning to take shape across college basketball.
This week saw plenty of movement in the AP Top 25 polls, resulting from multiple upsets and ranked matchups on both the men’s and women’s side. Let’s take a look at where things stand now.
Men’s Basketball
AP Top 25
1. Arizona (61 first place votes)
2. UConn
3. Michigan
4. Purdue
5. Duke
6. Houston
7. Nebraska
8. Gonzaga
9. Iowa State
10. Michigan State
11. Illinois
12. Texas Tech
13. BYU
14. Virginia
15. Vanderbilt
16. Florida
17. Alabama
18. Clemson
19. Kansas
20. Arkansas
21. Georgia
22. North Carolina
23. Louisville
24. St. Louis
25. Miami (OH)
Where is UNC?
The Tar Heels had the biggest drop in this week’s poll, falling eight spots to #22 after losing back-to-back games at Stanford and Cal. Personally, I’m about 50/50 on whether they should be ranked at all, but we’ll likely get a definitive answer to that this week when they host Notre Dame (Wednesday) and travel to #14 Virginia (Saturday).
Biggest Winners
Kansas reentered the poll at #19 after decisive home wins over then-#2 Iowa State and Baylor, St. Louis entered the poll for the first time since the 2020-21 season at #24 after improving to 17-1, and Miami (OH) earned its first ranking in 27 seasons at #25 after moving to 19-0. Within the poll, Clemson moved up four spots to #18 after home wins over Boston College and Miami (FL).
Biggest Losers
Iowa State had the biggest fall after UNC, dropping seven spots to #9 after losing at Kansas and Cincinnati. Utah State went from #23 to unofficial #31 after losing at Grand Canyon, Tennessee went from #24 to unofficial #30 after a home loss to Kentucky, and Seton Hall went from #25 to receiving zero votes after home losses to then-#3 UConn and Butler.
Conference Breakdown
- Big 12: 6
- Big Ten: 5
- SEC: 5
- ACC: 5
- Big East: 1
- WCC: 1
- A-10: 1
- MAC: 1
Marquee Matchups This Week
- #15 Vanderbilt (16-2) @ #20 Arkansas (13-5) – Tonight at 9:00 PM ET on ESPN
- #22 North Carolina (14-4) @ #14 Virginia (16-2) – Saturday at 2:00 PM ET on ESPN
- #11 Illinois (15-3) @ #4 Purdue (17-1) – Saturday at 3:00 PM ET on FOX
- #6 Houston (17-1) @ #12 Texas Tech (14-4) – Saturday at 6:30 PM ET on ESPN
- #23 Louisville (13-5) @ #5 Duke (17-1) – Monday at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN
- #1 Arizona (18-0) @ #13 BYU (16-2) – Monday at 9:00 PM ET on ESPN
Women’s Basketball
AP Top 25
- UConn (30 first place votes)
- South Carolina
- UCLA
- Texas
- Vanderbilt
- LSU
- Michigan
- Louisville
- TCU
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Ohio State
- Michigan State
- Baylor
- Maryland
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Ole Miss
- Texas Tech
- Princeton
- Duke
- West Virginia
- Alabama
- Nebraska
- Washington
Where is UNC?
Still unranked, but up from unofficial #28 to unofficial #27 after beating Miami (FL) at home and Florida State on the road. The Tar Heels travel to face Georgia Tech on Thursday and host Syracuse on Sunday. If they win both of those games, there’s a decent chance they’ll find themselves back in the Top 25.
Biggest Winners
Duke reentered the rankings at #21 after stretching its winning streak to 10 games, West Virginia reentered at #22 after a one-point home loss to then-#10 TCU and a road win at Cincinnati, and Washington reentered at #25 after beating Indiana on the road and Minnesota at home. Within the poll, Baylor moved up four spots to #14 after double-digit wins at Utah and BYU.
Biggest Losers
Iowa State went from #19 to unofficial #31 after losing at Colorado and Oklahoma State, Notre Dame went from #23 to unofficial #28 after a home loss to then-#9 Louisville, and Illinois went from #25 to unofficial #26 after losing at then-#8 Michigan. Within the Top 25, Kentucky slid four spots to #11 after losing at Mississippi State.
Conference Breakdown
- SEC: 9
- Big Ten: 7
- Big 12: 5
- ACC: 2
- Big East: 1
- Ivy League: 1
Marquee Matchups This Week
- #10 Iowa (16-2) @ #15 Maryland (17-3) – Thursday at 6:00 PM ET on NBC
- #11 Kentucky (17-3) @ #17 Tennessee (13-3) – Thursday at 6:30 PM ET on SEC Network
- #2 South Carolina (19-1) @ #16 Oklahoma (14-4) – Thursday at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN
- #12 Ohio State (17-2) @ #10 Iowa (16-2) – Sunday at 2:00 PM ET on Peacock
- #5 Vanderbilt (19-0) @ #2 South Carolina (19-1) – Sunday at 3:00 PM ET on ESPN
