RADIO
Mike's college basketball rankings for Week 17 of the 2025-26 season. His top college basketball teams. Where are Duke, Houston, Arizona, and Gonzaga ranked?
Every team on the list except UConn has two regular-season games left. Conference play has wreaked havoc on teams in nearly every conference, yet we still have this one team from Oxford, Ohio that just refuses to lose. No matter what happens from here on out, the 2025-26 Miami Redhawks will be a story told for generations. 2020-21 Gonzaga was the last team to go undefeated in the regular season. They lost in the Championship Game.
Since 1990, five teams have gone undefeated in the regular season (Gonzaga, 2014-15, Kentucky, 2013-14, Wichita State, 2003-04, St. Joseph's, and 1990-91 UNLV). Of those five, only one team lost before the Elite Eight, and three of them made the Final Four. Where will Miami end up?
Don't worry, we'll also cover where your favorite (or least-favorite) teams are in this week's rankings. All of the teams in the rankings are just jockeying for seeding this week, though it is worth noting that four AP-ranked teams have missed the NCAA Tournament since the tournament expanded in 1985. Will any of these teams join 1992-93 UNLV, 2003-04 Utah State, 2013-14 SMU, and 2017-18 Saint Mary's? Let's hope not.
25. Central Florida (20-8)
Last week: 23 (⇓2)
Results: W 97-84 at (21) BYU, L 87-86 vs. Baylor
Much like Wisconsin, UCF has beaten some of the Big 12's best. They have wins over Kansas and Texas Tech. There are also ugly losses to Baylor, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and Cincinnati. Again, consistency would be nice.
24. Tennessee (20-9)
Last week: 19 (⇓5)
Results: L 73-69 at Missouri, L 71-69 vs. (20) Alabama
It was a rough week for the Vols, but wins over Houston and Louisville can't be ignored. The two huge blown leads to Kentucky are looming large right now. The only reason that Tennessee is ranked is because of those big wins.
23. Wisconsin (20-9)
Last week: 23 ⇔
Results: L 85-71 at Oregon, W 90-73 at Washington
Consistent. pic.twitter.com/ZGxEHe8ibq
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) February 24, 2026
This team is so frustrating. Wisconsin has beaten Michigan, Illinois, and Michigan State. Those are three elite wins. They have lost to Oregon, Ohio State, and Villanova. Some consistency would be nice, but those elite wins have to matter.
22. Miami (FL) (23-6)
Last week: 25 (⇑3)
Results: W 83-73 at Florida State, W 76-54 vs. Boston College
In the completely irrelevant notes category (via ESPN):
This is the second poll with both Miamis (Florida and Ohio) ranked, the first since Feb. 15, 1999, when the Hurricanes were 15th and the RedHawks were 25th).#GoCanes
— Canes Research (@CanesResearch) March 2, 2026
This is only the second time in AP Poll history that both Miamis have been ranked in the same week. The other time that it happened was February 15, 1999. Wally Szczerbiak was on that Redhawks team. What took the AP so long? I've had the Hurricanes ranked for three weeks now...
21. Saint Mary's (27-4)
Last week: NR
Results: W 86-67 vs. Santa Clara, W 70-59 vs. (10) Gonzaga
The Gaels have beaten Gonzaga seven times in the last five years. No wonder the Bulldogs are leaving for the Pac-12! St. Mary's has won 26 consecutive home games. That's the most in school history.
20. Miami (OH) (29-0)
Last week: 22 (⇑2)
Results: W 74-64 at Eastern Michigan, W 69-67 at Western Michigan
The Redhawks are just the sixth team since 1990 to enter March undefeated. The others were 1990-91 UNLV, 2003-04 St. Joseph's, 2013-14 Wichita State, 2014-15 Kentucky, and 2020-21 Gonzaga. All five of the previous teams were awarded a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Don't expect Miami to get the same treatment.
19. Arkansas (21-8)
Last week: 18 (⇓1)
Results: W 99-84 vs. Texas A&M, L 111-77 at (15) Florida
The teams around Arkansas had worse weeks than losing to Florida. The loss to the Gators was the worst loss for Arkansas as an AP-ranked team in program history.
The only loss worse than that for the Hogs in the last 50 years was a 37-point loss to Cincinnati in 1997. Kenyon Martin led the Bearcats to a 2-seed that season.
18. St. John's (23-6)
Last week: 16 (⇓2)
Results: L 72-40 at (6) Connecticut, W 89-57 vs. Villanova
St. John's missed 24-straight field goals to end their game vs. UConn, with their last coming at 17:28 in the second half 😬
That is the longest streak of missed FG by an AP-ranked team in the last eight seasons 😯 pic.twitter.com/jaZ0r8VoTv
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) February 26, 2026
I wanted to move the Johnnies down more for not making a shot from the field in the last 17:28 against UConn, but everyone else around them fared just as badly or worse than Rick Pitino's team this week.
St. John's became the first Big East team to lose a game by 30 and win the next game by 30 since Louisville in 2009. Pitino was also the coach of that Louisville team.
17. Alabama (22-7)
Last week: 20 (⇑3)
Results: W 100-75 vs. Mississippi State, W 71-69 at (19) Tennessee
The Tide has won eight in a row since being embarrassed by Florida in Gainesville. They have as many wins over ranked teams as Florida does in its nine-game winning streak.
Alabama led Tennessee for just 24 seconds of the game on Saturday. That's the shortest amount of time by a winning team in the SEC this year.
16. Virginia (25-4)
Last week: 17 (⇑1)
Results: W 90-61 vs. North Carolina State, L 77-51 at (1) Duke
Everyone expected the Hoos to lose to Duke. Dominating a bubble team by 29 points earns Virginia another slot in the rankings. Virginia is now 1-32 all-time against the top-ranked teams in the AP Poll. The only win was against North Carolina in 1984.
15. Gonzaga (28-3)
Results: W 89-48 vs. Portland, L 70-59 at St. Mary's
Gonzaga avenged the loss to Portland, then turned around and suffered its worst regular-season defeat at the hands of the Gaels. The WCC will be worse without this rivalry.
14. Purdue (22-7)
Last week: 7 (⇓7)
Results: L 76-74 vs. (9) Michigan State, L 82-74 at Ohio State
Purdue has now lost to three unranked teams that are a combined 29-25 in conference play. The wins over Alabama and Texas Tech still matter, but the seeding is slipping for the Boilermakers. They need a good final week against Northwestern and Wisconsin.
Braden Smith assists @ Ohio St.: 7
Braden Smith career assists: 1011Assists until Big Ten record: BROKEN
Assists until national record: 66Games until national record broken at current rate (8.7 APG): 8 (6 games into Postseason)
— Braden Smith Assist Tracker (@assisttracker) March 1, 2026
Braden Smith picked up 17 assists this week to move him into fourth all-time with 1,011 assists. He is 19 assists behind North Carolina's Ed Cota. A good week could get him there, but Smith still trails Bobby Hurley's record by 65 assists.
At his current average, Smith would need to play at least eight more games to have a chance at the record. That would mean six postseason games between the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. Can he do it?
13. Florida (23-6)
Results: W 84-71 at Texas, W 111-77 vs. (18) Arkansas
Florida has won nine in a row since losing to Auburn at home for the first time in 30 years. The problem is that they have only beaten two ranked teams in that stretch.
Florida doesn't have the chance to beat top-10 teams every week like the teams in the Big 12 and Big Ten do. However, the Gators got cracks at UConn, Arizona, and Duke this year. They lost all three of those games.
Florida also has losses to TCU and Missouri. Add that to not having a win against a current top-15 team, and that is why I have Florida this low. The SEC logo doesn't mean as much to me as it does to the AP and ESECPN.
12. North Carolina (23-6)
Last week: 14 (⇑2)
Results: W 77-74 vs. Louisville, W 89-82 vs. Virginia Tech
Like Texas Tech, the Tar Heels are learning to adjust to life without Caleb Wilson. Unlike Tech, the Heels will get Wilson back at some point this postseason. Henri Veesaar has turned into a monster with Wilson out, and Seth Trimble has upped his scoring output. That can only help Carolina once they are back at full strength.
Henri Veesaar is the only player in the country with 40 or more dunks and 30 or more threes this season.
Gotta respect him from outside at all times, which leads to plays like these. Elite ball player. pic.twitter.com/ZtCIC5LpPp
— Jacob Turner (@JacobTurnerNC) February 23, 2026
Carolina has now won 17 straight games at home. That's the most since a 23-game streak in 2016-17. Duke is the only other major conference team unbeaten at home in 2025-26. North Carolina plays at Duke on Saturday and beat them in Chapel Hill a few weeks ago.
11. Illinois (22-7)
Last week: 11 ⇔
Results: L 84-70 vs. (3) Michigan
There's certainly no shame in losing to Michigan, especially considering what happened to Purdue (a team that Illinois beat earlier this year at West Lafayette) and Gonzaga this week. Illinois stays put.
Keaton Wagler had another strong performance. He has scored at least 15 points in seven straight games against ranked opponents, the longest streak by a Big Ten freshman since Ohio State's Jared Sullinger in 2010-11.
10. Kansas (21-8)
Last week: 13 (⇑3)
Results: W 69-56 vs. (5) Houston, L 84-61 at (2) Arizona
23 years and there still is yet to be a coach to beat Bill Self twice at Allen Fieldhouse. That's one of the most absurd stats I've ever seen.
Almost as absurd as the fact that 41 teams have had the chance to beat him there on Big Monday and exactly 0 have succeeded.
— Rock Chalk Blog (@RockChalkBlog) February 24, 2026
I'm not going to punish Kansas for losing to the second-ranked team on the road. I will reward them for beating Houston...and for going 41-0 at home on Big Monday under Bill Self.
Kansas is a bit of an enigma this year, but wins over Houston, Arizona, Texas Tech, Tennessee, and BYU are better than the wins of any teams below them, and a few above them. The problem is that Kansas now has at least one loss by 20 or more points in four straight seasons. That's the longest streak for the Jayhawks since 1915-1920.
9. Texas Tech (22-7)
Last week: 12 (⇑3)
Results: W 80-68 vs. Cincinnati, W 82-73 at (4) Iowa State
The Red Raiders have had to adjust to life without JT Toppin before. The difference now is that they know he won't be coming back. It's hard to replace a guy averaging 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.7 blocks, but Tech did it this week because of the emergence of sophomore Luke Bamgboye.
He scored 31 points with 10 rebounds, three assists, and eight blocks in the first three games without Toppin. LeJuan Watts picked up some rebounds, and Christian Anderson is still one of the 10 best guards in the country. The Red Raiders aren't done yet.
Texas Tech has beaten three AP Top-5 teams this season, the most in school history. They are the fifth team since 1948 to win multiple road games against top-5 teams in a calendar month. The last team to do so was Oregon in January of 2022.
8. Michigan State (24-5)
Last week: 9 (⇑1)
Results: L 76-74 at (7) Purdue, W 77-64 at Indiana
That's two big road wins for the Spartans to put them back in position for a 2-seed. Jeremy Fears Jr. leads Division I in assists this year with 9.1 per game. The last DI player to average 15 points and nine assists in a season was Ja Morant for Murray State in 2018-19.
7. Iowa State (24-5)
Last week: 4 (⇓3)
Results: W 75-59 at Utah, L 82-73 vs. (12) Texas Tech
Iowa State was the last Big 12 team to lose at home this year. Texas Tech is still a good team without Toppin, but this game wasn't as close as the score indicated. The Cyclones trailed by 16 at halftime -- the largest home deficit under T.J. Otzelberger (five seasons).
6. Nebraska (25-4)
Last week: 8 (⇑2)
Results: W 74-61 vs. Maryland, W 82-67 at USC
The worst is over for Nebraska. They close the season with UCLA and Iowa, two teams that are firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble. You know they want to get revenge on Iowa -- a team that lost to the last-place team in the Big Ten last week.
If Nebraska wins both games, it will set a school record for wins in a season, originally set in 1990-91.
5. Houston (24-5)
Last week: 5 ⇔
Results: L 69-56 at (13) Kansas, W 102-62 vs. Colorado
Houston's five losses are all to ranked teams. They also have ranked wins over Texas Tech, BYU, and Arkansas. Iowa State has lost to two unranked teams. Nebraska lost to one.
Add in Houston's quality losses to the good wins, and the Cougars don't deserve to lose a spot in the rankings. Losing at the Phog is not a knock on your team, especially on a Monday. Kansas is 41-0 on Monday at the Phog under Self.
4. Connecticut (27-3)
Last week: 6 (⇑2)
Results: W 72-40 vs. (16) St. John's, W 71-67 vs. Seton Hall
It was quite a week for the Huskies. They knocked Seton Hall off the bubble and dominated St. John's to the point where the Red Storm missed their last 24 shots from the field. The last made shot from St. John's was with 17:28 left in the game.
3. Michigan (27-2)
Last week: 3 ⇔
Results: W 77-67 vs. Minnesota, W 84-70 at (11) Illinois
The win over Illinois came with a steep price. Guard L.J. Cason tore his ACL in the win, leaving Michigan with less depth on the bench. Cason was averaging 8.4 points per game in 18.6 minutes off the Michigan bench. Nimari Burnett and Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle Jr. will pick up the slack.
2. Arizona (27-2)
Last week: 2 ⇔
Results: W 87-80 at Baylor, W 84-61 vs. (13) Kansas
Arizona can win the Big 12 regular-season title outright against Iowa State this week. Even with a loss, Arizona is still likely a No. 1 seed.
There's not much riding on the week for Arizona. It's all about being the best team possible heading into the NCAA Tournament. If that means laying waste to every team in front of them, so be it.
1. Duke (27-2)
Last week: 1 ⇔
Results: W 100-56 at Notre Dame, W 77-51 vs. (17) Virginia
Yes, Duke really is just that much better than the rest of the ACC. It's not an indictment of the conference. It's a testament to Duke's strength.
Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel made Duke a good team last year, but this year's team plays more like a team than last year's version. Having twin brothers on the team doesn't hurt, but the veteran presence of Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans can't be understated.
Duke has beaten 22 ranked teams under Jon Scheyer. That ties Michigan State's Tom Izzo for the most ranked wins in the first five seasons as a head coach in the AP era (1948).
