Duke and Houston retained their respective spots at No. 1 and No. 2 in the latest AP Top 25 college basketball poll released Monday for a second consecutive week. Duke earned 49 first-place votes on the heels of winning the ACC championship, while Big 12 champion Houston earned six in what will be the final rankings update before the start of March Madness this week.
Florida also earned a pair first-place votes and moved up one spot to No. 3 in the poll after winning the SEC Tournament this week.
Florida’s rise pushed Auburn down to No. 4 this week and gives the Gators bragging rights as the highest-ranked SEC team entering the NCAA Tournament after winning six consecutive games leading into the tourney. Auburn, the No. 1 overall seed, enters the tournament with its lowest ranking in the AP poll since Week 4 after losing three of its last four games. It earned two first-place votes this week, which is its fewest since Week 2.
“Yeah, we’re panicked,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said sarcastically over the weekend when asked if there was cause for concern after recent struggles. “We lost to some great teams. But yeah, we’re panicked. I can hardly wait until next weekend to start playing again.”
Below is a look at the top 25 entering the NCAA Tournament. First-place votes are in parenthesis:
1. Duke (49)
2. Houston (6)
3. Florida (2)
4. Auburn (2)
5. St. John’s
6. Tennessee
7. Alabama
8. Michigan State
9. Texas Tech
10. Louisville
11. Maryland
12. Clemson
13. Wisconsin
14. Michigan
15. Iowa State
16. Memphis
17. BYU
18. Kentucky
19. Texas A&M
20. Saint Mary’s
21. Arizona
22. Purdue
23. Missouri
24. Gonzaga
25. Oregon
Others receiving votes: Drake 107, Marquette 69, UC San Diego 57, Illinois 55, VCU 28, Creighton 28, Mississippi 13, McNeese St. 4, UConn 4, Colorado St. 4, Kansas 3, High Point 3, UCLA 3, Akron 3
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