Arizona remains in first place with a one-point lead over the fast-closing Michigan V Top 25 AP on Monday, making this race for first place one of the closest in the 78-year history of the men's college basketball polls.
The Wildcats received 32 of 61 first-place votes and scored 1,494 points, while the Wolverines received the remaining 29 first-place votes from the national media panel. A one-point difference prevented the first 2026 poll from becoming the second-highest in history with a tie for first place; Oregon State And Virginia tied for first place on January 26, 1981.
Arizona led the last five polls, but the Wolverines were able to bounce back, thanks in part to becoming the first team in the poll era to win three straight games against ranked opponents by at least 30 points each. Michigan trailed Arizona by 20 points in the latest poll.
“All glory is fleeting, as you guys heard from me,” Michigan coach Dusty May said after the latest 96-66 loss to then-No. 24 USCwhich also allowed his team to become one of the six undefeated men's Division I teams.
The Wolverines haven't been number one since Jan. 28, 2013, and that stint only lasted one week.
Monday's top six remained unchanged from the final 2025 poll, with Arizona and Michigan followed by undefeated. Iowa, University of California, Connecticut, Purdue And DukeBye Houston jumped Gonzaga And BYUAnd Nebraska closes the top 10.
The Huskers, who are riding a national-best 18-game winning streak dating back to last season and are off to the best start in school history, are in the top 10 for the first time since rising to ninth on Feb. 28, 1966. 9 Michigan.
“Happy for Fred Hoiberg. It wasn't that many years ago that everyone was on edge,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said afterward. “He did a hell of a job. Nebraska did a hell of a job. It was probably the best game – their biggest game – in 36 years. They responded.”
Vanderbiltanother program with scant success in men's basketball, remained just behind the Huskers in 11th place. This is the highest the undefeated Commodores have held since they were No. 7 in the preseason poll for the 2011–12 season.
“SEC play comes quickly, and now we know the challenges of this league and what lies ahead,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said after Saturday's win over South Carolina looking forward to the match against number 13 on Tuesday night Alabama.
Michigan State dropped three spots to No. 12 after its loss to Nebraska, and the Crimson Tide followed Texas Tech And Arkansas in this week's poll. Illinois, North Carolina, Georgia, Iowa And Louisville closes the top 20, and Tennessee, KansasVirginia, SMU And UKF completed the initial Top 25 of the new year.
The Knights, who opened Big 12 play with a win over the Jayhawks, entered the rankings for the first time since March 4, 2019.
“We don't just play the opponent in front of us. We're trying to play to our standards,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. “I just want them to come out and just follow their hearts and play for each other, and I think they did that.”
Iowa made the biggest move, moving up six spots to No. 19 after beating UCLA on Saturday, while Georgia moved up five spots to No. 18. Kansas and North Carolina, which lost to SMU on Saturday, dropped five spots each but remained in the poll.
SMU is ranked No. 24 for the first time since finishing No. 11 in the final poll for the 2016-17 season. The Mustangs and UCF moved into the top 25 at the expense of USC and Florida, which lost to Missouri 76-74 on Saturday night.
Villanova was the first team outside the top 25, trailing UCF by five points. Also on the rise are Utah State and Miami (Ohio), which at 15-0 are the only undefeated players still out of the poll.
The Big 12 led the way with seven ranked teams, including four in the top 10, while the Big Ten had six in the top 25 and three in the top 10. The ACC and SEC each had five ranked teams, while the West Coast and Big East each had one.
