Michigan Climbs to No. 3 in AP Top 25 Men’s Poll
The Michigan Wolverines have climbed to No. 3 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 men’s basketball poll. This rise follows a dominant performance in the Players Era Championship. Both Michigan State and Iowa State also made impressive gains, breaking into the top 10 of the rankings.
Current AP Top 25 Rankings
No. 1 Purdue retained its position at the top, garnering 40 first-place votes from a 61-member media panel. Arizona follows closely in second place, receiving six first-place votes. Michigan stands firm in third place with 15 votes after a strong showing in recent games.
Top Teams and Their Records
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue | 7-0 | 1494 |
| 2 | Arizona | 7-0 | 1442 |
| 3 | Michigan | 7-0 | 1417 |
| 4 | Duke | 8-0 | 1355 |
| 5 | UConn | 6-1 | 1244 |
| 6 | Louisville | 7-0 | 1177 |
| 7 | Michigan State | 7-0 | 1095 |
| 8 | Houston | 7-1 | 1070 |
| 9 | BYU | 6-1 | 1037 |
| 10 | Iowa State | 7-0 | 975 |
Michigan’s Dominant Performance
Michigan’s recent performance has drawn considerable attention. They launched their Las Vegas tournament with a decisive 94-54 victory over San Diego State. They followed this by overwhelming then-No. 21 Auburn 102-72, and achieving an astonishing 101-61 win against Gonzaga, marking coach Mark Few’s largest defeat in 902 games.
Morning rises among teams included No. 17 Vanderbilt, which ascended seven spots after clinching the Battle 4 Atlantis title. Meanwhile, Iowa State, ranked tenth, moved up five places after securing three wins in the Players Era Championship.
Teams on the Rise and Fall
- No. 7 Michigan State rose four places after defeating East Carolina and No. 16 North Carolina.
- No. 13 Tennessee gained four spots after beating Houston.
- No. 21 Kansas returned after winning three games at the Players Era Championship.
- No. 24 USC captured the Maui Invitational title, marking its return to the poll.
Conversely, reigning national champion Florida fell to No. 15 after a loss to TCU. UCLA was knocked out of the rankings entirely following a defeat to Cal.
Conference Standings
The Southeastern Conference continues to dominate, having the most teams in the AP Top 25 with seven. The Big 12 and Big Ten followed closely with six teams each. The Big East had two, while the West Coast Conference featured one team in the rankings.
