AP Top 25: Duke replaces Michigan at No. 1 in college basketball rankings

To be the best, you have to beat the best. That was the formula for Duke over the weekend, as the Blue Devils took down Michigan in a marquee non-conference showdown. In the wake of that colossal victory, Jon Scheyer’s squad replaced the Wolverines atop the AP Top 25 poll. Monday’s rankings placed Duke in the No. 1 spot for the first time this season and set the ACC frontrunner up as the new favorite to secure the top overall seed in next month’s NCAA Tournament.

Michigan did not tumble far, though. The Wolverines check in at No. 3 this week on the heels of their second loss of the year. They still control their own destiny in the Big Ten title race, and a mere five-point defeat against a national championship contender should not diminish their potential to make a Final Four run.

Things are slightly more concerning at Houston after a two-loss week. The Cougars entered their matchups against Iowa State and Arizona ranked No. 2 nationally and had an opportunity to stake their claim to the top spot, but they fell short in both tests and suddenly have work to do in the hunt for a third consecutive Big 12 crown. Kelvin Sampson’s crew slipped to No. 5 in the rankings after its season loss total doubled in the span of just four days.

Further down the pecking order, UConn dropped to No. 6 following a rough home loss to Creighton. Kansas is also on a downward trend following two losses in its last three outings, and AP voters downgraded it to No. 14.

Meanwhile, Miami (Ohio) is now the highest-ranked mid-major team after it added two more wins to its perfect tally. With just four regular-season games remaining, the RedHawks are 27-0. Their climb was aided by Saint Louis’ 18-game winning streak coming to an end.

AP Top 25

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Duke (56)
2. Arizona (5)
3. Michigan
4. Iowa State
5. Houston
6. UConn
7. Florida
8. Purdue
9. Gonzaga
10. Illinois
11. Virginia
12. Nebraska
13. Michigan State
14. Kansas
15. St. John’s
16. Texas Tech
17. Alabama
18. North Carolina
19. BYU
20. Arkansas
21. Miami (Ohio)
22. Tennessee
23. Saint Louis
24. Louisville
25. Vanderbilt

Others receiving votes: Wisconsin (47), Saint Mary’s (30), Villanova (15), Miami (10), Utah St. (8), NC State (7), SMU (4), Texas A&M (3), Iowa (3), UCF (3), High Point (2), Stephen F Austin (2), Navy (1).