The final AP Top 25 poll before the NCAA Tournament was released on Monday, and to no surprise, there was some significant movement after a busy conference championship week. The top five-ranked teams in the poll — which also happen to be the top five teams in the NCAA’s official seed list — remained unchanged.
Duke, Arizona, Michigan, Florida and Houston rounded out the top five teams in the poll. There were three newcomers in the top 10, with Purdue being the biggest riser after upsetting Michigan in the Big Ten title game. The Boilermakers jumped 10 spots to No. 8, while St. John’s received a slight boost by moving up three spots to No. 10 after winning the Big East title.
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Virginia lost in the ACC title game against No. 1 Duke, but was rewarded with a one-spot boost in the rankings. The Cavaliers are ranked No. 9, ahead of St. John’s in the latest poll. Arkansas moved up three spots to No. 14 after winning the SEC title game over Vanderbilt.
2026 NCAA Tournament bracket: Ranking every team playing in March Madness from No. 1 to 68
Matt Norlander
Miami (Ohio) suffered its first loss of the season last week to UMass in the first round of the MAC Tournament. The RedHawks dropped out of the poll entirely after the loss. Miami will face SMU in the First Four in Dayton on Wednesday, with a spot in the first round on the line.
AP Top 25
1. Duke (50)
2. Arizona (7)
3. Michigan
4. Florida
5. Houston
6. Iowa State
7. UConn
8. Purdue
9. Virginia
10. St. John’s
11. Michigan State
12. Gonzaga
13. Illinois
14. Arkansas
15. Nebraska
16. Vanderbilt
17. Kansas
18. Alabama
19. Wisconsin
20. Texas Tech
21. North Carolina
22. Saint Mary’s
23. Louisville
24. Tennessee
25. Miami (FL)
Others receiving votes: Miami (Ohio) 100, BYU 62, UCLA 38, Utah State 28, TCU 17, High Point 14, VCU 12, Clemson 9, Ohio State 5, Kentucky 4, Saint Louis 3, Akron 3, Santa Clara 2, McNeese State 1.
