Duke head coach Jon Scheyer shouts towards the court during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Virginia in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
2026-03-02T18:00:28Z
Duke is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the second straight week, extending its all-time record with the program’s 149th appearance in the top spot.
The Blue Devils received 55 of 59 first-place votes in Monday’s poll following lopsided wins over Notre Dame and then- No. 11 Virginia last week.
No. 2 Arizona received four first-place votes after clinching a share of the Big 12 regular-season title with Saturday’s 84-61 win over No. 14 Kansas. Michigan, UConn and Florida rounded out the top five.
Duke (27-2) has been dominant defensively since losing to rival North Carolina on Feb. 7, holding its last six opponents to an average of 57 points per game.
The Blue Devils opened the week by handing Notre Dame its worst home loss since 1898 with a 100-56 win. Duke then turned its showdown with Virginia into another rout, crushing the Cavaliers 77-51 on Saturday to clinch the top seed for the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Rising and falling
No. 10 Texas Tech had the biggest jump of the week, climbing six places with wins over Cincinnati and at Iowa State last week.
No. 8 Michigan State moved up five places following its 76-74 win over Purdue on Thursday and Sunday’s 13-point win over Indiana.
No. 19 Miami (Ohio), Division I’s only remaining undefeated team, climbed two spots for its highest ranking since reaching No. 12 in 1952-53.
No. 15 Purdue had the biggest drop of the week, losing seven places following losses to Michigan State and Ohio State.
No. 12 Gonzaga lost three places following its 70-59 loss to rival Saint Mary’s.
In and out
Saint Mary’s win over Gonzaga not only earned the Gaels a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season, it moved into the AP Top 25 for the first time this season at No. 21.
No. 22 Miami is ranked for the first time since 2023 following wins over Florida State and Boston College.
BYU dropped out of the poll from No. 19 with three losses in four games since sharpshooting guard Richie Saunders went down with a season-ending knee injury.
Louisville’s losses to North Carolina and Clemson last week knocked the Cardinals out of the poll from No. 25.
Conference watch
The Big 12 is tied with the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences for most ranked teams at five following BYU’s departure. The ACC is next with four teams, followed by the Big East and West Coast conferences with two each. The Mid-American Conference and Atlantic 10 each have one ranked team.
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