The top five in the men’s basketball poll stood pat one week into 2025, with No. 1 Tennessee slightly padding its lead as Division I’s only undefeated team, but several statement wins early in conference play led to more dramatic shifts elsewhere in the Top 25.
Kentucky moved to the doorstep of that top five, vaulting from No. 10 to No. 6 after dealing Florida its first loss in a 106-100 thriller in Lexington on the opening day of SEC play. But Illinois was the week’s biggest riser, jumping nine spots to No. 13 after sweeping a West Coast swing that included Washington and previously top-10 Oregon.
The Utah State Aggies, meanwhile, moved into the Top 25 after a win over Fresno State improved the team’s record to 14-1 under new coach Jerrod Calhoun.
AP Top 25
Tennessee 14-0
Auburn 13-1
Iowa State 12-1
Duke 12-2
Alabama 12-2
Kentucky 12-2
Marquette 13-2
Florida 13-1
UConn 12-3
Texas A&M 12-2
Kansas 10-3
Houston 10-3
Illinois 11-3
Mississippi State 13-1
Oregon 13-2
Michigan State 12-2
Oklahoma 13-1
Gonzaga 12-4
Memphis 12-3
Purdue 11-4
West Virginia 11-2
UCLA 11-3
Ole Miss 12-2
Michigan 11-3
Utah State 14-1
Tennessee’s resume inching closer to Auburn’s
I’m still ranking Auburn above Tennessee on my ballot, but Tennessee’s case to hold on to its No. 1 spot in the poll is growing stronger by the week. One thing that helped the Vols this week: Illinois blowing out Oregon. The No. 13 Illini are now No. 8 in my rankings and No. 11 at KenPom, and Tennessee’s two-point win in Champaign looks even better than it did at the time.
This week the Vols play road games at Florida and Texas, while Auburn is at Texas and South Carolina. My argument for keeping Auburn at No. 1 on my ballot is that its resume is still the best — the Tigers are 6-1 against the KenPom top 50 with two top-10 wins. Tennessee is 4-0 against the top 50 with zero top-10 wins — and Auburn is No. 1 at all of the computer rankings, while Tennessee ranks fourth or fifth. But if the Vols win at Florida this week and the Illini continue to climb, next week we could be in a spot where the Vols also have two top-10 wins. I’m still likely going to lean Auburn, but it’ll be the first time I’d be tempted to flip.
Florida and Oklahoma slip after first losses
In Saturday’s 106-100 loss at Kentucky, Florida strengthened its case as a top-10 team as much as anyone can in defeat. Kentucky was playing at its peak in a terrific environment, yet the Gators stuck around. They dropped only one spot at KenPom; I also dropped them only one spot in my ranking and considered not dropping them at all. They have a great shot to boost their resume this week when they host Tennessee on Tuesday and then travel to Arkansas on Saturday.
Oklahoma is a different case. The Sooners got blown out at Alabama, 107-79, but I kept them in the same spot on my ballot because I was already lower on them than most and they still have three quality wins (Arizona, Louisville and Michigan, all on neutral courts). It’s hard to ding anyone for losing at Alabama; the only reason to consider it was how thoroughly dominated the Sooners were. There wasn’t anyone outside of Illinois that deserved to jump the Sooners, and I dropped UCLA six spots for losing at Nebraska.
Illini’s big rise
Illinois made a big leap this week after a road sweep of Oregon and Washington, including a historic win in Eugene. According to Jared Berson, the Illini’s 109-77 win was the largest margin of victory ever against an AP top-10 team on the road. The Illini looked fantastic in that one, and they have one of the most talented rosters in the country. They are the least-experienced high-major team in college basketball, but star guard Kasparas Jakucionis plays beyond his years and the pieces fit so well together. You can see this team getting better every week.
It’s wild that the Illini are this good after losing all five starters off an Elite Eight team. As I wrote in today’s rundown of my Top 25, Brad Underwood would have my vote for National Coach of the Year if the season ended today.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
