RADIO
Mike's college basketball rankings for Week 18 of the 2025-26 season. His top college basketball teams. Where are Duke, Houston, Arizona, and Gonzaga ranked?
There was more chaos to end the regular season, but one team from tiny Oxford, Ohio, refuses to lose. No matter what happens in the conference tournament, 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. It lost in the NCAA Tournament Championship Game. Since 1990, five teams have gone undefeated in the regular season (Gonzaga in 2014-15, Kentucky in 2013-14, Wichita State in 2003-04, St. Joseph's in 2003-04, and 1990-91 UNLV). Of those five, only the Wichita State team (that got a brutal draw) 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. 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.
The way power teams continue to manipulate the NET and Quad systems makes it more likely than ever, especially for ranked mid-majors such as Miami-Ohio and Saint Mary's.
25. Villanova (24-7)
Last week: NR
Results: W 76-57 at DePaul, W 91-78 vs. Xavier
Seven of Villanova's losses are to Michigan, UConn (twice), St. John's (twice), and BYU (early in the season before it tanked). We can forgive the loss to a monumentally bad Creighton team. We did with UConn. You'll be ok.
Villanova beat a solid Wisconsin team and kept Seton Hall out of the NCAA Tournament. Shockingly, that's more than Louisville. Louisville just has the better freshman, though Acaden Lewis has been outstanding for the Wildcats and gets lost in this stellar freshman class.
Villanova Freshman Point Guard Acaden Lewis scored 14 points on 5-7 FGs and dishes out 12 assists with only 1 Turnover today in the win over Xavier 😤 The Freshman PG keeps raising his NBA Draft stock 📈👀 @AcadenLewis pic.twitter.com/1Edg9uwT86
— The Hoop Spill (@TheHoopSpill) March 8, 2026
24. Miami (FL) (24-7)
Last week: 22 (⇓2)
Results: W 77-69 at SMU, L 92-89 vs. Louisville
The only thing keeping the Hurricanes afloat is the win over North Carolina and Caleb Wilson. It's important to make that distinction. Louisville's only win over a ranked team is against these Hurricanes, and Louisville has two more losses. This is still Miami's spot.
23. Vanderbilt (24-7)
Last week: NR
Results: W 89-86 at Mississippi, W 86-82 at (24) Tennessee
The Commodores are back in the rankings after a win over Tennessee to close the season. The eight road wins this year are Vanderbilt's most in a season since 2009-10.
See? That proves how good the SEC is this year ... The fact is that Vanderbilt has only beaten two AP-ranked teams this year (one in my rankings). Tennessee and Saint Mary's.
22. Wisconsin (22-9)
Last week: 23 (⇑1)
Results: W 78-45 vs. Maryland, W 97-93 at (14) Purdue
This team is so frustrating. Wisconsin has beaten Michigan, Illinois, Purdue, and Michigan State. Those are three elite wins and one really solid one.
It has lost to Oregon, Ohio State, and Villanova. Some consistency would be nice, but those elite wins have to matter. Several teams in front of it don't have even one win of that caliber.
The win against Purdue in West Lafayette was Wisconsin's third straight road win over a ranked opponent. It had never done that before in program history.
21. Saint Mary's (27-4)
Last week: 21 ⇔
Results: NONE
Saint Mary's has won at least a share of the regular season conference title in four straight seasons, but has only won the WCC Tournament once during that run. It is looking to make it twice this year by knocking Gonzaga out of the WCC in style. The Bulldogs are off to the Pac-12 next year.
20. Miami (OH) (31-0)
Last week: 20 ⇔
Results: W 74-72 vs. Toledo, W 110-108 at Ohio
Miami is the third Division I team in history to enter its conference tournament at 31-0. The only other teams to do that are 2013-14 Wichita State and 2014-15 Kentucky. Those two teams got a No. 1 seed. Don't expect the same for Miami.
The Redhawks completed an undefeated regular season by winning at arch rival Ohio for the first time in 15 years. Nothing could be sweeter ... except a lengthy run through the NCAA Tournament.
— No Context College Basketball (@ContextFreeCBB) March 7, 2026
On a side note, Miami's Peter Suder might be my spirit animal. If you watch the uncut version of that video, you'll see why. This is a family page. I'm keeping this suitable for everyone.
19. Arkansas (23-8)
Last week: 19 ⇔
Results: W 105-85 vs. Texas, W 88-84 at Missouri
John Calipari became just the eighth Division I head coach with 900 wins (if you don't count the 42 vacated from being a naughty boy at Massachusetts and Memphis).
Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Bob Huggins, Jim Calhoun, Roy Williams, Bob Knight, and Rick Pitino are the others. That's pretty good company.
18. Alabama (23-8)
Last week: 17 (⇓1)
Results: L 98-88 at Georgia, W 96-84 vs. Auburn
The SEC is so good that Alabama moved up the AP rankings after a loss to Georgia, and 16-15 Auburn is still IN the tournament with a loss to Alabama.
I see that college football has infiltrated college basketball, and the same narratives are being spread. It's killing football. Basketball is next. You won't see that kind of bias in my rankings.
17. Texas Tech (22-9)
Last week: 9 (⇓8)
Results: L 73-65 vs. TCU, L 82-76 at BYU
The Red Raiders have wins over Duke, Arizona, and Iowa State. They have a 30-point loss to Purdue and four losses to unranked teams. This isn't just a JT Toppin issue.
They handed Iowa State its only conference loss of the season at home this year without Toppin. Tech blew a 13-point lead at BYU on Saturday. That is the largest blown lead in three seasons under Grant McCasland.
I have discussed at length this season the enigma that is the Kansas Jayhawks. Texas Tech may be even worse. You're trying to put out a fire with kerosene if you take either team past the first weekend in your tournament brackets.
16. St. John's (25-6)
Last week: 18 (⇑2)
Results: W 72-69 vs. Georgetown, W 72-65 at Seton Hall
St. John's has back-to-back 25-win seasons for the first time since 1998-99 and 1999-2000. Still, the only marquee win is over Connecticut, and it lost the second meeting at home by 32 points. Rick Pitino has done a great job in Queens, but this team is still a ways away from the top.
15. Purdue (23-8)
Last week: 14 (⇓1)
Results: W 70-66 at Northwestern, L 97-93 vs. (23) Wisconsin
We all know that the AP has the memory of a goldfish. How else can you justify ranking Alabama three slots ahead of Purdue when they have the same record? Purdue has better wins (Texas Tech, Nebraska, and the head-to-head over Alabama) as well. SEC bias is real, folks.
Braden Smith picked up 18 assists this week to move his career number to 1,029 assists. He is just one assist behind North Carolina's Ed Cota for third all-time. North Carolina State's Chris Corchiani sits in second with 1,038 career assists.
Braden Smith assists vs Wisconsin: 9
Braden Smith career assists: 1029Assists until Big Ten record: BROKEN
Assists until national record: 48Games until national record broken at current rate (8.7 APG): 6
— Braden Smith Assist Tracker (@assisttracker) March 7, 2026
A good week at the Big Ten Tournament should get Smith into second place. He still trails Bobby Hurley by 47 assists. Smith likely needs to play at least five more games in the postseason to have a shot at the record.
14. Virginia (27-4)
Last week: 16 (⇑2)
Results: W 75-70 vs. Wake Forest, W 76-72 vs. Virginia Tech
Virginia has a bad loss to Butler, and the only currently ranked team that it has beaten is Louisville (No. 24). Gonzaga has fewer losses and a better win (vs. No. 15 Alabama).
By hitting 75 points in both games this week, Virginia finished the regular season with 22 games of 75 or more points. That's the most for the school since 1988-89.
13. Gonzaga (28-3)
Last week: 15 (⇑2)
Results: NONE
The Bulldogs got some much-needed time off before the WCC Tournament. Fortunately for Gonzaga, it gained some ground after bad weeks from many teams in front of it. Gonzaga secured the top seed in the WCC Tournament for the first time in four years.
12. Kansas (22-9)
Last week: 10 (⇓2)
Results: L 70-60 at Arizona State, W 104-85 vs. Kansas State
Kansas follows up arguably the worst loss in the top 15 (I still think UConn losing to Marquette is worse) with its highest score against rival Kansas State in series history.
Kansas has beaten the Wildcats 208 times, by far the most over any opponent in Division I history. No other team has beaten any opponent 200 times. Will the real Kansas Jayhawks please stand up?
11. Florida (26-5)
Last week: 13 (⇑2)
Results: W 108-74 vs. Mississippi State, W 84-77 at Kentucky
Florida has won 11 straight since the loss to Auburn at home, and has won 16 of the last 17. There are few teams as hot as Florida right now, but the SEC had the worst non-conference winning percentage among power conferences. What does running roughshod over the SEC really mean?
There are a lot of mid teams in this league, but the NET rankings make it look good. It hasn't gone unnoticed that the AP has done Florida a solid and loaded up the bottom of the top 25 with SEC teams (Vanderbilt and 10-loss Tennessee).
The Gators have back-to-back 25-win seasons for the first time since they did it in four straight years from 2010 to 2014. That still doesn't mean they've earned a 1 seed. Florida's best win is over AP No. 15 Alabama.
10. North Carolina (24-7)
Last week: 12 (⇑2)
Results: W 67-63 vs. Clemson, L 76-61 at (1) Duke
The Caleb Wilson saga is over as he broke his wrist during practice last week. I was looking forward to seeing what the Tar Heels could do with him in the tournament, but now it will be on the shoulders of veterans Seth Trimble and Henri Veesaar.
The Tar Heels still have wins over Kansas, Virginia, and Duke. That's far better than Florida's wins.
9. Illinois (24-7)
Last week: 11 (⇑2)
Results: W 80-54 vs. Oregon, W 78-72 at Maryland
With the win in College Park on Sunday, Illinois won its eighth road game in conference play. Two of those were against top-10 (at the time) teams (Nebraska and Purdue). Add in a win over Texas Tech, and it's not hard to see why the Illini are still in the top 10.
8. Nebraska (26-5)
Last week: 6 (⇓2)
Results: L 72-52 at UCLA, W 84-75 vs. Iowa
That loss to UCLA is hard to explain, but the Bruins have played their way into the NCAA Tournament. The entire body of work has to matter.
Nebraska has lost four of the last 10, but it has wins over Michigan State and Illinois. Florida can't match that. This is the first time that Nebraska finished the regular season as high as second in the conference since 1992-93.
7. Michigan State (25-6)
Last week: 8 (⇑1)
Results: W 91-87 vs. Rutgers, L 90-80 at (3) Michigan
I didn't punish Iowa State for losing at Houston, so I'm not going to punish Michigan State for losing at Michigan. The Spartans still have wins over Arkansas, Illinois, and Purdue. Those match or beat Florida and Nebraska's best wins ... even though Nebraska beat the Spartans.
6. Connecticut (27-4)
Last week: 6 (⇓2)
Results: L 68-62 at Marquette
UConn lost to an 11-19 team. It was still only a Quad 2 loss. In the grand scheme of things, this likely doesn't hurt Connecticut's seeding at all. The Huskies had their worst shooting performance from three-point range (12.5%) in five years in the loss in Milwaukee.
5. Iowa State (25-6)
Last week: 7 (⇑2)
Results: L 73-57 at (2) Arizona, W 86-65 vs. Arizona State
How does a team lose and move up? Because everyone around it lost. Iowa State has beaten Purdue, Houston, Kansas, and St. John's. The Cincinnati loss is the only real blemish, and the Bearcats might still be a tournament team.
Iowa State went on a 24-0 run against the Sun Devils to blow the game open. That was the second run of 20-0 or more this season for the Cyclones.
4. Houston (26-5)
Last week: 5 (⇑1)
Results: W 77-64 vs. Baylor, W 82-75 at Oklahoma State
Houston's five losses are all to ranked teams. It has ranked wins over Texas Tech, BYU, and Arkansas.
When you factor in Houston's good wins without a bad loss, it deserves to be ranked this high. Gonzaga is the only three-loss team, and its wins and losses are nowhere near as good as Houston's.
3. Michigan (29-2)
Last week: 3 ⇔
Results: W 71-68 at Iowa, W 90-80 vs. (8) Michigan State
Michigan became the first Big Ten team ever to win 19 conference games. 1974-75 and 1975-76 Indiana. Both won 18 conference games, but they only had 18 conference games in those times. The Wolverines enter the conference tournament averaging 88.4 points per game. That's 11th in the country.
2. Arizona (29-2)
Last week: 2 ⇔
Results: W 73-57 vs. (7) Iowa State, W 89-79 at Colorado
29 REGULAR SEASON WINS. PROGRAM RECORD.
NO. 2 ARIZONA ENDS ITS SEASON HOT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zzMY3z0MdY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 8, 2026
The 29 wins are already the most in Arizona program history. That's amazing, considering all the good teams the Wildcats have produced over the last 35 years.
The Big 12 has the best non-conference record this year and is widely considered the best conference in college basketball. Arizona beat the other two top teams in the conference by seven and 16, respectively. The Houston win was also on the road.
1. Duke (29-2)
Last week: 1 ⇔
Results: W 93-64 at North Carolina State, W 76-61 vs. (12) North Carolina
Duke rolled a couple of tournament-bound teams to remain at No. 1 for the 150th week in school history. That is by far the most of any school. UCLA is in second with 134 weeks.
Duke's 11 wins against AP-ranked teams this year are the most after the end of the regular season since 2002-03 Kentucky. 1992-93 Indiana is the only other team besides those two to accomplish the feat since the AP Poll began in 1948.
