With one week left in the men’s college basketball regular season, the top of the AP poll featured only minor jockeying among the nation’s elite teams. Auburn continued to hold off Duke for the title of the nation’s No. 1 team, while Houston and Tennessee moved into third and fourth, respectively, after their 2-0 weeks and Alabama’s last-second loss to the Volunteers on Saturday. Florida slipped two spots to No. 5.
St. John’s, which this weekend clinched its first outright Big East title in 40 years with a win over Seton Hall, moved up one spot to No. 6 — its highest ranking since January 1991. Alabama, Michigan State, Texas Tech and Iowa State rounded out the top 10.
The biggest climber was Louisville, which leapt five spots from No. 19 to No. 14. The Cardinals (23-6) are 17-1 since Dec. 21.
Here’s the full poll, along with the ballot of The Athletic’s C.J. Moore and a few notes on teams that stand out:
| Rank | Team | Record | Prev | CJ’s vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
27-2 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
26-3 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
3 |
25-4 |
4 |
3 |
|
|
4 |
24-5 |
5 |
5 |
|
|
5 |
25-4 |
3 |
4 |
|
|
6 |
26-4 |
7 |
8 |
|
|
7 |
23-6 |
6 |
6 |
|
|
8 |
24-5 |
8 |
7 |
|
|
9 |
22-7 |
10 |
9 |
|
|
10 |
22-7 |
9 |
10 |
|
|
11 |
24-5 |
13 |
17 |
|
|
12 |
22-7 |
11 |
11 |
|
|
13 |
22-7 |
16 |
14 |
|
|
14 |
23-6 |
19 |
20 |
|
|
15 |
21-8 |
14 |
12 |
|
|
16 |
24-5 |
18 |
NR |
|
|
17 |
22-7 |
15 |
13 |
|
|
18 |
20-9 |
20 |
15 |
|
|
19 |
19-10 |
17 |
18 |
|
|
20 |
22-7 |
21 |
23 |
|
|
21 |
27-4 |
23 |
22 |
|
|
22 |
20-9 |
12 |
19 |
|
|
23 |
21-8 |
25 |
21 |
|
|
24 |
19-10 |
22 |
16 |
|
|
25 |
20-9 |
24 |
NR |
|
|
NR |
21-8 |
NR |
24 |
|
|
NR |
20-9 |
NR |
25 |
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Men’s college basketball top 25: Elite teams stacking up as March opens
No. 8 Michigan State has won four in a row against teams currently in the Top 25. Combine that with the fact that the Spartans are in first place in the second-best league in college hoops, and they have a good argument to move into the top five. But what’s holding them back is the teams they’ve lost to. One (USC) is not making the NCAA Tournament, and a second (Indiana) is on the bubble. The 15 total losses taken by No. 5 Florida, No. 7 Alabama and No. 4 Tennessee have all come against likely NCAA Tournament teams, and 13 of the 15 came against teams currently in my top 25. The five teams Michigan State has lost to are all outside of my top 25, and only Memphis is in the current AP Top 25.
When factoring in both resume-based metrics and quality-based metrics, which are averaged together on Bart Torvik’s team sheets page, the SEC schools are clearly ahead.
| Resume avg. | Quality avg. | |
|---|---|---|
|
Florida |
5 |
4.3 |
|
Tennessee |
3.7 |
5 |
|
Alabama |
2.7 |
5.7 |
|
Michigan State |
7 |
11.7 |
The No. 3 Cougars have ranked highly in the quality-based metrics all season but had lagging resume metrics for a good chunk of the season. That’s no longer the case. The Big 12 champs are now 16-4 in games within the first two quadrants, a win total that trails only Auburn and Alabama. The Cougars could add two wins to that total this week with games against Kansas (at home) and Baylor (on the road), and if they win both, they’ll become only the sixth Big 12 team to win the league with just one conference loss. The previous five all received No. 1 seeds, as did the one with a perfect league record (2002 Kansas).
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No. 11 Clemson and No. 14 Louisville have been inching up my poll but have not made drastic jumps despite the fact both have been rolling through the ACC — Clemson has won 12 of its last 13, and Louisville has won 17 of 18. Here’s the issue for both: There aren’t many quality wins available in the ACC. Both have only four Q1 wins, which is tied for 34th nationally; the list of teams with more includes Nebraska, Ohio State and Minnesota. Both deserved to be ranked and celebrated for having great seasons, but it’s tough to justify moving them too far up the ballot. Duke is different because the Blue Devils have three really good wins outside of their conference (Arizona, Auburn and Illinois), and their computer numbers suggest they’re the best team in the country — No. 1 at KenPom, BPI and Evan Miya.
(Photo: John E. Moore III / Getty Images)
