College Basketball Rankings: First AP Poll Top 25 released following Week 1

Week 1 of the college basketball season is in the books. On Monday, the first-in season AP Poll Top 25 was revealed.

AP Poll voters had plenty of opportunities to evaluate the top teams in the country last week. There were four Top 25 showdowns in Week 1. Oddly, in each of the four matchups, the lower-ranked team won.

In turn, there was no shortage of change in this week’s poll. Look below to see this week’s complete college basketball AP Top 25.

1. Houston (+1)

Houston secured two wins in Week 1. In typical Kelvin Sampson style, the Cougars’ defense was spectacular, holding its opponents to just 52.5 points per game.

While key returners Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan looked excellent in Week 1, freshman Kingston Flemings stole the spotlight. In Houston’s 65-48 win over Towson, the former five-star prospect notched a team-high 20 points.

2. Purdue (-1)

Purdue picked up two ramp-up wins last week. The Boilermakers jumpstarted their season with an 82-51 blowout over Evansville in their season-opener. In the win, Fletcher Loyer was phenomenal, tallying 30 points on 7-10 shooting from 3-point range.

Purdue followed up the win with a showdown against Oakland on Friday. The Golden Grizzlies tested Purdue. The game was tied at halftime, but ultimately showed off its grit, pulling out an 87-77 triumph.

3. UConn (+1)

UConn head coach Dan Hurley didn’t allow his team to play down to its competition. The Huskies defeated New Haven and UMass Lowell by an average margin of 43.5 points per outing.

In the Huskies’ dominant victory over UMass Lowell on Friday, the team had seven players score double figures. Nobody outshined Tarris Reed Jr., who tallied 20 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, while shooting 9-12 from the field.

4. Duke (+2)

Like Arizona, Duke didn’t shy away from getting its feet wet in its first game. On Tuesday, the Blue Devils defeated Texas 75-60 in their season-opener.

Highly-touted freshman Cameron Boozer posted a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double in the win. Not to be outdone, returning contributor Isaiah Evans logged a team-high 23 points. Duke followed up the win with a comfortable 95-54 win over Western Carolina.

5. Arizona (+8)

Arizona faced reigning national champion Florida in its season-opener and escaped with a convincing 93-87 victory. Freshman Koa Peat thrived against Florida’s experienced bigs, racking up 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

While Peat lightened his foot on the gas in Arizona’s ensuing win over Utah Tech, he was still stellar. Peat recorded 18 points on 6-7 shooting from the floor in Arizona’s second win of the season.

6. Michigan (+1)

Year 2 of the Dusty May era is underway at Michigan and the future looks bright. Michigan reeled in the No. 4 class in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings, and it showed in the team’s season-opening rout of Oakland.

Illinois transfer Morez Johnson Jr. led all scorers with a career-high 24 points, 20 of which he scored in the first half. UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg was stellar as well, notching 12 points on 4-4 shooting.

7. BYU (+1)

Freshman AJ Dybantsa is living up to the hype. In BYU’s season-opening 71-66 win over Villanova, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2025 totaled 21 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Of course, a top 10 college basketball teams needs more than one great player. Richie Saunders and Robert Wright III combined for 29 points in the win, as well.

8. Alabama (+7)

Alabama launched into the top 10 of the college basketball rankings this week after downing St. John’s on Saturday. In the 103-96 victory, Alabama sophomore Labaron Philon Jr. picked up right where he left off last season, posting a team-high 25 points.

Philon was far from the only standout for the Crimson Tide. Aden Holloway and Taylor Bol Bowen also each scored double figures, combining for 38 points.

9. Kentucky

Kentucky strolled to a 77-51 win over Nicholls State in its season-opener, but the Wildcats’ performance wasn’t always pretty. The team came back stronger on Friday with a 107-59 triumph over Valparaiso.

Point guard Jaland Lowe made his debut in the win. He’d been out due to a shoulder injury he suffered in the preseason. Freshman center Malachi Moreno shined, recording a team-high 18 points.

10. Florida (-7)

AP voters didn’t punish Florida harshly for its season-opening loss to Arizona. After all, the Gators took the Wildcats to the wire and showed serious promise throughout the game.

Florida forward Thomas Haugh, in particular, was exceptional, recording a team-high 27 points. Florida bounced back from its loss to Arizona with a 104-64 victory over North Florida on Thursday.

Remainder of the AP Poll Top 25

11. Texas Tech (-1)
12. Louisville (-1)
13. St. John’s (-8)
14. Illinois (+3)
15. UCLA (-3)
16. Iowa State
17. Michigan State (+5)
18. North Carolina (+7)
19. Gonzaga (+2)
20. Tennessee (-2)
21. Arkansas (-7)
22. Auburn (-2)
23. Creighton
24. Wisconsin
25. Kansas (-6)

Others receiving votes:

NC State 87, San Diego State 67, Indiana 45, Oregon 43, Vanderbilt 37, Ohio State 17, Baylor 14, USC 12, Kansas State 5, Missouri 4, Ole Miss 4, Mississippi State 3, Georgia 2, Stanford 1, Oklahoma State 1, Texas 1, Georgetown 1, Utah State 1, Iowa 1, Virginia Tech 1.