Arizona still No. 1 as Michigan inches closer in AP poll

Field Level Media|published: Mon 22nd December, 13:53 2025

NCAA Basketball: C.M. Newton Classic-Arizona at Alabama

Dec 13, 2025; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) makes a layup during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Legacy Arena at BJCC. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images

Iowa State, UConn and Purdue moved up a spot and Duke dropped three places to No. 6 in Monday's latest Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll.

Arizona remained No. 1 in the country and Michigan again is No. 2, but the Wolverines moved a mere 20 points away from the Wildcats in the voting; they were 30 points apart the previous week.

After Arizona had 42 first-place votes to Michigan's 15 a week ago, the Wolverines gained four first-place votes from Arizona's total.

Arizona defeated San Diego State 68-45 on Saturday, while Michigan trounced La Salle 102-50 on Sunday.

Duke absorbed its first loss of the season on Saturday night when Texas Tech rallied for an 82-81 win at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Red Raiders rose four spots to No. 15 and was the biggest mover in this week's poll.

The Blue Devils' drop marked the only downward movement inside the top 10. Gonzaga, Houston, Michigan State and BYU remained in the No. 7 through 10 spots.

Undefeated Vanderbilt (No. 11) and Nebraska (No. 13) each inched ahead by two places in the rankings. The Cornhuskers notched their highest ranking since the 1991-92 season; Vanderbilt hasn't been this high since it was voted seventh in the 2011-12 preseason poll.

Losses knocked Auburn (8-4) and St. John's (7-4) out of the poll from the previous No. 21 and 22 spots. In their place, Southern California (12-1) returned at No. 24 and Iowa (10-2) made its season debut at No. 25.

Iowa beat out Kentucky by a single point, 79-78, for the last spot.

The full Top 25:

1. Arizona (11-0)

2. Michigan (11-0)

3. Iowa State (12-0)

4. UConn (12-1)

5. Purdue (11-1)

6. Duke (11-1)

7. Gonzaga (12-1)

8. Houston (11-1)

9. Michigan State (11-1)

10. BYU (11-1)