AP Top -25 Rankings Shuffle After Alabama Upset Over Auburn, Duke Blue Devils New No. 1

With the No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide's upset over the No. 3 Auburn Tigers, the Duke Blue Devils take over the No. 1 spot in the latest AP Top-25 Rankings. The Oregon Ducks are back in at No. 23, while the No. 22 Michigan Wolverines and No. 21 Missouri Tigers dropped.

Mar 8, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (4) takes a shot over Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) during the first half at Neville Arena. | John Reed-Imagn Images

The madness of March has started early, with a few days still remaining before the NCAA Tournament field for men's college basketball is revealed. Previously ranked No. 1, the Auburn Tigers lost the top spot in the newest AP Top-25 Poll after ending the regular season with losses to No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 5 Alabama. The Duke Blue Devils are the newest No. 1 team in the country.

This week's poll also feature two new teams after Mississippi State lost two consecutive games while the Arizona Wildcats are 3-5 in their eight contests. The Oregon Ducks are in at No. 23, and the Illinois Fighting Illinis are ranked No. 24. Oregon is currently riding a seven-game win streak into the Big Ten Conference Tournament.

GAME WINNER!! pic.twitter.com/nFZqCSfPhf

— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 8, 2025

Duke and No. 2 Houston survived the week, but Tennessee fell to No. 8 after losing an unranked Ole Miss team on Wednesday. Instead, the No. 4 Florida Gators seem primed to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after beating Alabama on the road. Florida's win looks even better with the Crimson Tide knocking off Auburn later in the week.

No. 6 St. John's nearly fell to No. 25 Marquette, but the Golden Eagles were unable to knock off the Big East regular season champions.

Barring any shocking upsets in the ACC Tournament, it appears as though No. 13 Louisville and No. 10 Clemson will be the only teams able to challenge Duke in the conference tournament. The Blue Devils' only conference loss came on the road against Clemson.

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The No. 7 Michigan State Spartans are the top seed in the Big Ten, and they are coming off of a 17-point win over No. 22 Michigan. The Wolverines are trending in the wrong direction, losing three straight games heading into the conference tournament.

As conference tournaments begin, the top-25 is rather solidified, but teams can still experience large changes in the rankings. Like Michigan, No. 23 Missouri Tigers ended the season with three losses, including two against unranked teams. Missouri slid six spots in the latest rankings.

Michigan State players huddle before a play against Michigan during the second half at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Sunday, March 9, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On the other end, teams like Oregon and Illionis are surging. The Ducks are the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, but ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Oregon at No. 5 in his latest bracket projection for the NCAA Tournament.

Here is the full AP Top-25 Poll as of March 10.

1 Duke

2 Houston

3 Auburn

4 Florida

5 Alabama

6 St. John's

7 Michigan State

8 Tennessee

9 Texas Tech

10 Clemson

11 Maryland

12 Iowa State

13 Louisville

14 Texas A&M

15 Kentucky

16 Memphis

17 BYU

18 Wisconsin

19 Saint Mary's

20 Purdue

21 Missouri

22 Michigan

23 Oregon

24 Illinois

25 Marquette