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Mike's college basketball rankings for Week 10 of the 2025-26 season. Where are Duke, Houston, Arizona, and Gonzaga ranked?
College Basketball Top 25 Power Rankings Week 10, 2025-26
Conference road games turned out to be very tough for some of the higher-ranked teams. We have some big shakeups in our rankings, which means it was a fun week! Not for fans of the teams who lost, but it’s a sign that parity is alive and well in college basketball. Only one team has looked dominant. How long will that last, considering that the team is in the toughest conference?
25. Miami (OH) (17-0)
Last week: 25 ⇔
Results: W 87-76 vs. Western Michigan, W 87-73 at Toledo
This isn’t the MAC of about four years ago, where there should have been three teams in the NCAA Tournament. This is likely a one-bid league even if the Redhawks lose in the conference tournament. I still think being undefeated at this point in the season is incredibly hard, no matter where you play.
24. Virginia (14-2)
Last week: NR
Results: W 84-60 vs. California, W 70-55 vs. Stanford
I do like this Virginia team. I’m just not willing to ignore losses to Butler and Virginia Tech. The win over Texas looks better now, but that’s the only “marquee” win. With games at Louisville and at SMU this week, the Cavs can rocket up my rankings the way they did the AP’s this week.
23. Texas A&M (13-3)
Last week: NR
Results: W 90-88 at Auburn, W 83-76 vs. Oklahoma
The losses are at Oklahoma State, against Central Florida, and against SMU. The 3-0 start in the SEC, including a win at Auburn, is a good way to get ranked. The Aggies struggled early in the season, but this team is finding its rhythm. Pop Isaacs is looking like the 2023-24 version after a slow start. Rashaun Agee is ravaging the SEC right now. We’ll find out more this week with games against Texas and Mississippi State.
22. Louisville (12-4)
Last week: 19 (⇓3)
Results: L 73-84 vs. (6) Duke, W 75-62 vs. Boston College
Mikel Brown Jr. can’t return soon enough. This is a placeholder’s ranking since we know that Louisville is much better with Brown in there. How long can the Cardinals survive without him? Virginia is next up this week, and is a place where Louisville can finally earn the placeholder ranking.
21. Georgia (14-2)
Last week: 18 (⇓3)
Results: L 77-92 at Florida, W 75-70 at South Carolina
Both losses (Clemson and Florida) are to currently ranked teams. The win over Auburn looks better. The point is that Georgia has still done more than Virginia. I’ll recognize that even if the AP doesn’t. Georgia is now 14-2 through the first 16 games for the second straight season.
20. Miami (FL) (14-2)
Last week: NR
Results: W 81-77 at Wake Forest, W 91-81 vs. Georgia Tech
Both losses are to ranked teams (Florida and BYU). The Hurricanes also hold good wins over Mississippi and Wake. That’s still as much as Virginia has done as far as teams beaten, and Miami has far better losses.
19. Florida (11-5)
Last week: NR
Results: W 92-77 vs. (18) Georgia, W 91-67 vs. Tennessee
That’s two blowout wins against AP-ranked teams to get Florida back into the rankings. The unranked losses to TCU and Missouri are tough to swallow because we know what this team is capable of. We just saw it. They lost to Duke by one point at Cameron Indoor. They lost to UConn by four points. Arizona only beat them by six. That said, those were the first two ranked wins of the season for Florida. We’ve been giving them a lot of grace for good losses.
18. Clemson (14-3)
Last week: 22 (⇑4)
Results: W 74-70 vs. SMU, W 76-61 at Notre Dame
Why isn’t Clemson getting the Virginia treatment in the AP Poll? Two of the three losses are to top 20 teams. Both of Virginia’s losses are to unranked teams. Clemson beat an AP-ranked SMU team and has a win over currently ranked Georgia. Virginia hasn’t beaten a ranked team, currently or otherwise.
17. Alabama (11-5)
Last week: 12 (⇓5)
Results: L 90-96 at (17) Vanderbilt, L 88-92 vs. Texas
It was a rough week for the Tide, but the win over Illinois is enough to keep them ahead of other teams with better records but no big wins. Also, four of the five losses are to teams currently inside the AP Top 10. The loss to Texas at home opens up all sorts of questions, but until the Tide slips up against a bad team, the Illinois win will keep carrying the water.
16. Arkansas (12-4)
Last week: 13 (⇓3)
Results: W 94-87 at Mississippi, L 73-95 at Auburn
That was a big loss at Auburn, but Auburn is still a dangerous team. Of Auburn’s six losses, only one is to a currently unranked team (Texas A&M, who likely should be ranked in the AP Poll). In a very talented class of freshmen, it’s easy to lose track of Darius Acuff Jr. He has scored 15 or more points in 10 straight games for Arkansas.
15. Texas Tech (12-4)
Last week: 14 (⇓1)
Results: L 65-69 at (9) Houston, W 73-71 at Colorado
It was a tough week on the road for the Red Raiders. I’m not going to dock them much for a close loss to Houston. A close win over Colorado in a game that wasn’t close and shouldn’t have been close is a bit concerning.
14. North Carolina (14-2)
Last week: 15 (⇑1)
Results: W 87-84 vs. Wake Forest
Wins over Kentucky and Kansas should be big wins, but both of those blue bloods are in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. On the bright side, the win over Wake was the 500th win for the Heels at the Dean Dome, so that’s something. They have only lost 90 home games to those 500 wins. North Carolina still hasn’t lost at home this year, their best start at the Dean Dome since they won 12 straight at home in 2021-22.
13. Illinois (13-3)
Last week: 16 (⇑3)
Results: W 81-55 vs. Rutgers, W 75-69 at (21) Iowa
The win over Iowa will go down as a ranked win, but Iowa already lost to Minnesota earlier in the week. If the rankings came out more than once per week, Iowa would have already fallen out of the rankings. The win over Iowa was the third win against a ranked team for Illinois this season. They only had five all of last season. Four more currently ranked teams are on the schedule for Illinois.
12. Michigan State (14-2)
Last week: 11 (⇓1)
Results: W 80-51 vs. USC, W 76-66 vs. Northwestern
Michigan State is one of those old-school teams. They play tough defense and score just enough to win. The two losses are by a combined eight points to top-10 teams. Michigan State has allowed 70 or fewer points in all but two games this season. Only Penn State and Cornell topped the 70 mark against Sparty. Michigan State won both games.
11. Vanderbilt (16-0)
Last week: 17 (⇑6)
Results: W 96-90 vs. (12) Alabama, W 84-73 vs. LSU
Vandy finally got one of those big wins that their peers all have. They get a chance for more with Texas and Florida on the docket this week. The 16-0 start ties the best start in program history. The 2007-08 Commodores also started 16-0 before losing game number 17 in double overtime at Rupp Arena.
10. BYU (15-1)
Last week: 10 ⇔
Results: W 104-76 vs. Arizona State, W 89-84 at Utah
The only loss was by two points on a neutral court against a top 3 team. The wins over Miami and Wisconsin look better than they did early on. Yeah, I’m comfortable still having BYU above Vanderbilt. That game against Texas Tech this weekend is going to be huge. Like Nebraska, BYU is also in uncharted waters. This is the best start in program history.
True freshman AJ Dybantsa has nine consecutive 20-point games. He has shot 50% or better from the field in all of those games.
9. Gonzaga (17-1)
Last week: 8 (⇓1)
Results: W 89-77 vs. Santa Clara
The big wins over Creighton and Oklahoma have taken major hits. They are now just nice wins like the Arizona State, UCLA, and Kentucky wins. That’s the point. Gonzaga tested themselves before conference play. Vanderbilt did not. Gonzaga’s big win is Alabama, which Vanderbilt now has. The Commodores have little other than that, though.
8. Houston (15-1)
Last week: 9 (⇑1)
Results: W 69-65 vs. (14) Texas Tech, W 77-55 at Baylor
The win over a ranked Texas Tech squad moves Houston ahead of Gonzaga. This could be a theme with Gonzaga in the weaker West Coast Conference. With the win over Baylor, Houston won its 16th straight road game. That sets a new Big 12 record. It is also the longest current streak in Division I.
7. Nebraska (16-0)
Last week: 7 ⇔
Results: W 72-69 at Ohio State, W 83-77 at Indiana
Nebraska just keeps winning. We’ve never seen anything like it on the hardcourt. They aren’t doing it dominantly the way Arizona is. Two of Nebraska’s wins are from down 15 points or more. I never thought we would say this about a Nebraska basketball team, but this team knows how to win.
6. Michigan (14-1)
Last week: 2 (⇓4)
Results: W 74-72 at Penn State, L 88-91 vs. Wisconsin
The writing was on the wall in the close win against Penn State. Michigan wasn’t down any key players in either game, but Michigan wasn’t forcing turnovers as they have in the last six weeks or so. It was Michigan’s worst upset loss in three years, since they lost as a 21.5-point favorite to Central Michigan just after Christmas in 2022. This week isn’t any easier on the Wolverines as they take a West Coast trip to face Washington and Oregon.
5. Duke (15-1)
Last week: 6 (⇑1)
Results: W 84-73 at (19) Louisville, W 82-75 vs. SMU
Duke didn’t look dominant this week either. They beat a Louisville team that is still without Mikel Brown Jr. A 13-point win over an AP-ranked SMU team is a step in the right direction. The ACC doesn’t look super strong this year, but there are some dangerous teams in this conference. Virginia, Miami, SMU, Stanford, North Carolina, and Cal have all played some good teams tough. Duke has to play at Cal and Stanford this week.
4. Purdue (15-1)
Last week: 5 (⇑1)
Results: W 81-73 vs. Washington, W 93-85 vs. Penn State
What’s worse, being blown out by the No. 2 team, blowing a monster lead to Texas Tech, or losing to an unranked Wisconsin at home? That’s what determines this part of the rankings. UConn has easily the best loss in a nail-biter against Arizona. How you answer the question above determines this part of the rankings. For me, it’s easy. Iowa State is still a top team. Texas Tech is still a ranked team. Wisconsin is…Wisconsin, a team that Purdue beat by 16 in Madison just last week.
Braden Smith recorded another 21 assists in two games this week. That’s 914 in his career. He now trails Bobby Hurley by 162 assists, with 15 more regular-season games and who knows how many postseason games to go. Barring injury, Smith will break this record in late February or early March.
3. Connecticut (16-1)
Last week: 4 (⇑1)
Results: W 103-98 at Providence, W 72-60 vs. DePaul
The Huskies struggled with a pesky Providence team. They almost went the way of the Wolverine in Week 9. The hot start for UConn has been the norm in recent years. What hasn’t been is the hot start continuing into conference play. The Huskies are 6-0 in conference play for the first time since 2001-02. That streak isn’t coming to an end anytime soon. There is finally another ranked team in the Big East, but this conference still pales in comparison to last year.
2. Iowa State (16-0)
Last week: 3 (⇑1)
Results: W 70-60 at Baylor, W 83-71 vs. Oklahoma State
Iowa State is now officially off to the best start in program history. Its 16-game winning streak is also the longest in program history. 14 of those 16 wins are by double digits. Only High Point (15) has more wins by double digits this season.
1. Arizona (16-0)
Last week: 1 ⇔
Results: W 101-76 vs. Kansas State, W 86-73 at TCU
This is a historic start for Arizona. Only the 2013-14 (21-0) Wildcats started a season better than this year’s team. Arizona’s last 11 wins have been by double digits, which is the second-longest in Big 12 history. Only the 2009-10 Texas team was better. It is Arizona’s longest double-digit wins streak since 1997-98.
