Tennessee Tops AP Poll as College Basketball Landscape Shifts
Tennessee ascended to the No. 1 spot in this week’s AP Top 25 men’s college basketball rankings, marking its first time at the top since the 2018-19 season. The Vols secured 58 first-place votes from a 62-member media panel, climbing two positions after Kansas suffered two losses and Auburn fell to No. 4 Duke. Auburn remained at No. 2 with three first-place votes, while Iowa State rose to No. 3, its highest ranking since the 1956-57 season, garnering one first-place vote. Kentucky rounded out the top five.
Last week’s action saw 14 ranked teams lose, including six from the top 10. Kansas had been atop the rankings since the preseason but fell to No. 10 after losses to Creighton and Missouri. Auburn almost claimed the No. 1 spot but lost a closely contested game against Duke, despite a subsequent win over Richmond.
The Vols (8-0) are off to their best start since the 2000-01 season and lead the NET rankings, demonstrating strong defensive and offensive efficiency even after losing four starters from the prior year’s SEC championship team.
Meanwhile, the reigning national champions, UConn, rebounded from a challenging stretch by defeating Baylor and Texas, moving up seven spots to No. 18. Oklahoma experienced the largest leap within the poll, climbing eight positions to No. 13.
Several teams made their way back into the rankings this week, including Michigan at No. 14 for the first time in nearly three years, and Michigan State at No. 21. The SEC topped all conferences with nine ranked teams, followed by the Big Ten with six. This week’s rankings reflect a significant reshuffling in college basketball, spotlighting a competitive start to the season.
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