Associated Press Top 25 Features Six Big Ten Men's Programs

Nebraska men's basketball will face three ranked teams in its next four contests and has four remaining games against top 25 foes.

Wisconsin guard John Tonje throws down a dunk against Michigan on Dec. 3, 2024. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nebraska men's basketball will have its hands full for the next four contests, as the Huskers will face three ranked foes over that span.

The Big Ten Conference featured six teams in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings, with several Nebraska foes earning recognition. Nebraska failed to garner a vote for the second straight week after receiving votes in the Dec. 23 polls. The Huskers were two spots away from jumping into the top 25 following the Jan. 6 rankings following a home win over then-rated No. 15 UCLA.

Since the Jan. 4 66-58 Nebraska win at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Bruins and Nebraska have failed to garner any national recognition. Nebraska had received votes after their upset of then-rated No. 14 Creighton back on Nov. 22, but failed to garner a vote following an 89-52 blowout loss at Michigan State on Dec. 7. Nebraska has yet to reach the Associated Press' top 25 since 2018.

Nebraska guard Brice Williams dribbles against Maryland at the XFINITY Center on Jan. 19, 2025. | Nebraska Athletics

The Big Ten maintained its six-team appearances for another week in the poll, as No. 8 Michigan State rose up four spots to lead the conference. No. 11 Purdue jumped up six positions, while No. 15 Oregon, No. 17 Illinois, No. 18 Wisconsin, and No. 21 Michigan all appeared in this week's rankings. Maryland received a single vote in this week's poll as the lone Big Ten team receiving votes outside of the top 25.

The Southeastern Conference continued its midseason dominance with nine teams in the top 25, led by No. 1 Auburn receiving all 62 first-place votes. No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Tennessee, and No. 9 Kentucky gave the SEC half of the current top-ten. The SEC also featured No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 16 Ole Miss, and No. 22 Missouri. Vanderbilt and Georgia were on the outside receiving votes, as the SEC totaled 11 teams receiving votes.

The Atlantic Coast Conference rose to the No. 2 spot in the polls as Duke pushed forward one position, while No. 25 Louisville remained on the edge of the polls. Clemson and Wake Forest also received votes for the ACC. The Big East beat out the ACC by one team, with No. 10 Marquette, No. 19 UConn, and No. 20 St. John's. Nebraska's in-state rival Creighton received votes in this week's poll after taking down UConn on Saturday.

Jan 18, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; Creighton Bluejays guard Steven Ashworth (1) reacts with teammates after defeating the UConn Huskies in the second half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Big 12 included four teams in this week's rankings, including No. 3 Iowa State, No. 7 Houston, No. 12 Kansas, and No. 23 West Virginia. The other team included in this week's poll featured the American Athletic Conference's No. 24 Memphis. Teams receiving votes in this week's rankings include Texas Tech, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Gonzaga, Georgia, Clemson, Arizona, Saint Mary's, Cincinnati, Baylor, UC Irvine, Wake Forest, Creighton, Bradley, and Maryland.

Nebraska has now faced two foes that are currently ranked in the Associated Press top 25, and faces three ranked opponents in the next four matchups including No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 17 Illinois, and No. 15 Oregon following the Huskers battle with USC on Wednesday.

Associated Press Top 25

1. Auburn
2. Duke
3. Iowa State
4. Alabama
5. Florida
6. Tennessee
7. Houston
8. Michigan State
9. Kentucky
10. Marquette
11. Purdue
12. Kansas
13. Texas A&M
14. Mississippi State
15. Oregon
16. Ole Miss
17. Illinois
18. Wisconsin
19. UConn
20. St. John's
21. Michigan
22. Missouri
23. West Virginia
24. Memphis
25. Lousiville

---

MORE: Michigan State, Purdue Flex the Big Ten's Muscles

MORE: Nebraska's Britt Prince Earns Big Ten Freshman of the Week

MORE: 2027 4-Star Athlete Ty Keys Calls Nebraska Football Offer a 'Confidence Booster'

MORE: 2026 4-Star Xavier Lherisse Discusses Offer, Visit Plans

MORE: Is It Time To Jump Off The Nebrasketball Bandwagon?

---

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.