Duke marks its record 150th No. 1
ranking in the AP Top 25, Wisconsin, Louisville back in poll
[March 10, 2026]
By DAVE SKRETTA
Duke was chosen No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll
for a record 150th time on Monday.
The Blue Devils received 56 of 61 first-place votes from a national
media panel after wins over rivals NC State and North Carolina,
leaving them in the top spot for the third consecutive week. Arizona
stayed second and received four first-place votes while Michigan
received the other No. 1 ballot after its impressive win over No. 8
Michigan State.
“We've put ourselves in a position to do something special and make
a run,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.
The Blue Devils reached No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time on
Dec. 13, 1965, and they've spent more time there than any other
men's basketball program. UCLA is second with 134 weeks on top while
Kentucky is third (125).
Now, Scheyer's crew heads into the ACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed,
but potentially without two of their starters. Patrick Ngongba II
and Caleb Foster both were wearing boots in the second half of
Duke's win over the Tar Heels on Saturday.
“I'd be shocked if both of them are playing (in the conference
tournament),” Scheyer said. “Our plan is how can we get as healthy
as possible and ready as possible for two weeks from now, wherever
we go (into the NCAA Tournament).”
Defending national champion Florida climbed to fourth in this week's
AP poll, the highest the Gators have been since they were preseason
No. 3. Houston moved up to fifth after finishing second to Arizona
in the regular-season Big 12 race.
UConn dropped from fourth to sixth after the Huskies were upset by
Marquette in their regular-season Big East finale.
Rising and fall
St. John's moved up five spots to No. 13 after beating Georgetown
and Seton Hall last week. The Red Storm have won 16 of their last 17
games with the lone defeat coming to UConn, and Rick Pitino's squad
is seeded No. 1 in the Big East Tournament this week.
Texas Tech, which lost All-American forward JT Toppin to a torn ACL,
dropped six spots to No. 16 following losses to TCU and BYU.
In and out
Wisconsin made its fifth appearance in the poll this season at No.
23 after routing Maryland and beating Purdue on the road last week.
Louisville also returned to the poll at No. 24 after wins over
Syracuse and then-No. 22 Miami.
The Hurricanes were the top team outside the Top 25 while Saint
Louis dropped out following its loss to George Mason.
[to top of second column] |
Arizona forward Koa Peat, center, drives to the basket betwen
Colorado forward Alon Michaeli, left, and guard Barrington Hargress
in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March
7, 2026, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Conference tournaments
Arizona, Houston, No. 14 Kansas and Texas Tech are the top four
seeds in the Big 12 and earned double-byes into the quarterfinals on
Thursday. Duke, No. 10 Virginia, Miami and No. 19 North Carolina are
the top four in the ACC and likewise begin play Thursday, as will
the top four seeds in the Big East: St. John's, UConn, Villanova and
Seton Hall.
Michigan, No. 11 Nebraska, Michigan State and No. 9 Illinois are the
top four seeds in the Big Ten and will play their quarterfinal games
on Friday. So will Florida, No. 15 Alabama, No. 17 Arkansas and No.
22 Vanderbilt, the top four seeds in the SEC Tournament.
No. 12 Gonzaga played Oregon State in the West Coast semifinals on
Monday night, while No. 21 Saint Mary's played Santa Clara in the
other semifinal. The winners will meet for the conference
championship Tuesday night.
No. 20 Miami (Ohio) is the top seed in the MAC tourney. The RedHawks
play UMass in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
NET rankings
The rankings used by the NCAA to help seed its tournament varied
slightly from the AP poll. The NET had Michigan instead of Arizona
at No. 2 behind the Blue Devils, while BYU and Iowa — unranked in
the media poll — rounded out its version of the Top 25.
The RedHawks, who completed a 31-0 regular season, were ranked 55th
by the NET due in large part to their strength of schedule.
Conference watch
The Big Ten has six ranked teams while the Big 12 and SEC have five
apiece, though the Big 12's five included three of the top seven and
all within the top 16. The ACC has four ranked teams, the Big East
and West Coast two apiece and the MAC one.
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