AP Poll Top 25 revealed following conclusion of college basketball regular season

by:Nick Kosko•03/11/24•

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The final AP Poll Top 25 rankings of the regular season was revealed as college basketball gets ready for the postseason and March Madness.

There were some upsets and dominant performances throughout the final week. But that’s just the norm in this sport.

Below is the latest AP Poll top 25 rankings as the regular season ends.

1. Houston

kelvin-sampson-pens-heartfelt-message-to-houston-fans — (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Absolutely dominant. Tremendous stuff from the Cougars in their regular season finale, beating Kansas 76-46 to close out a 29-3 regular season.

Jamal Shead had 13 points, six rebounds and eight assists. LJ Cryer added 11 points, three rebounds and four assists. Damian Dunn even put up 12 points.

2. UConn

Dan Hurley — (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

UConn had a solid week to end the regular season, beating a ranked Marquette team and a double-digit win over Providence on Saturday. The Huskies finished 29-3 in the regular season.

In the win over the Friars, Alex Karaban had 16 points and three rebounds. Stephon Castle added 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.

3. Purdue

Purdue coach Matt Painter (Nelson Chenault/USA Today Sports)

It was five wins in a row to conclude the regular season for the Boilermakers. This time, it was a 78-70 win over Wisconsin in West Lafayette.

Zach Edey, wait stop us if you heard this, was dominant with 25 points, 14 rebounds and three assists. Fletcher Loyer added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.

4. North Carolina (+3)

on3.com/hubert-davis-raves-about-cormac-ryan-improved-shooting-creating-space-on-offense/ — © Bob Donnan

The Tar Heels went into Cameron Indoor and took out their rival for the second time this season. UNC got the victory 84-79.

Cormac Ryan went off in this one, putting up 31 points, two rebounds and one assist. Harrison Ingram had a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.

5. Tennessee (-1)

Rick Barnes — (Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)

After beating a ranked South Carolina team 66-59, the Volunteers slipped up against Kentucky. The Wildcats beat Tennessee 85-81.

In the loss, Dalton Knecht was out of his mind. He finished with 40 points, four rebounds and one assist. Zakai Zeigler added 17 points, two rebounds and nine assists.

6. Arizona (-1)

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd — © Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

The Wildcats won by 23 over UCLA but were upset by USC on Saturday to finish the regular season 24-8. But now, it’s Pac-12 Tournament time.

Keshad Johnosn and Oumar Ballo each had 17 points, with the latter also grabbing 10 rebounds. Caleb Love only had two points in the loss.

7. Iowa State (-1)

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

Despite beating a ranked BYU team earlier last week, Iowa State ended on a sour note. The Cyclones fell 65-58 to Kansas State on the road.

Curtis Jones had 16 points, four rebounds and one assist. Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey both had 13 points in the loss.

8. Creighton (+2)

Creighton head coach Greg McDermott (Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)

Not only did Creighton upset Marquette last week, the Bluejays followed it up with one more win. A 69-67 win over Villanova capped off the regular season.

Baylor Scheierman put up with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Trey Alexander added 17 points, six rebounds and two assists.

9. Kentucky (+6)

Mar 9, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari gives direction during the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky ended the regular season with a five-game winning streak to go into the SEC Tournament hot. The Wildcats, of course, knocked off Tennessee Saturday.

Antonio Reeves led the way with 27 points and seven rebounds. Reed Sheppard also had 27 points, six rebounds and five assists.

10. Marquette (-2)

After missing out on a chance to beat UConn on Wednesday, the Golden Eagles got a road win to end the season. Marquette ended with an 86-80 win over Xavier.

In the win, Kameron Jones had 30 points, five rebounds and nine assists. Oso Ighodaro added 24 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Rest of AP Poll Top 25

11. Duke (-2)
12. Auburn (+1)
13. Illinois (-1)
14. Baylor (-3)
15. South Carolina (+2)
16. Kansas (-2)
17. Gonzaga (+2)
18. Utah State (+4)
19. Alabama (-3)
20. BYU
21. St. Mary’s (+2)
22. Washington State (-4)
23. Nevada
24. Dayton (+1)
25. Texas Tech

Others receiving votes: Boise St. 46, South Florida 27, San Diego St. 21, Drake 16, Texas 14, James Madison 14, FAU 11, Florida 8, Princeton 7, Nebraska 6, New Mexico 4, Colorado 2, McNeese St. 2, Colorado St. 1, Wake Forest 1, Indiana St 1.

Enough regular season, it’s time for the tournaments! It’s about to get really wild over the next few weeks. March Madness is here.