AP College Basketball Poll 2024: Rankings After Men's March Madness Bracket Released

UConn overtook Houston atop the final Associated Press Top 25 poll heading into the 2024 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

The Huskies claimed all but one of the 62 first-place votes after beating Marquette 73-57 in the Big East tournament final. The Cougars, who accounted for the other first-place vote, were soundly beaten 69-41, by Iowa State in the final of the Big 12 tourney.

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Week 20 AP Top 25

1. UConn 
2. Houston 
3. Purdue 
4. Iowa State 
5. North Carolina 
6. Tennessee 
7. Auburn 
8. Marquette 
9. Arizona 
10. Illinois 
11. Creighton 
12. Kentucky 
13. Duke 
14. Baylor 
15. Saint Mary's 
16. South Carolina 
17. Kansas 
18. Gonzaga 
19. Alabama 
20. Utah State 
21. BYU 
22. Texas Tech 
23. Wisconsin 
24. San Diego State 
25. Washington State

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The Cyclones' victory wasn't enough to catapult them to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Their position as a No. 2 seed in the East region — the same quarter as top overall team UConn — was among the surprises when the selection committee revealed the full 68-team field.

There was a gap between how AP voters and the committee evaluated Auburn as well. The Tigers are seventh in the final poll but drew the No. 4 seed in the East, making the committee's opinion a complete outlier.

It's hard to know who got the worst deal. Iowa State and Auburn received seeds that arguably didn't reflect their résumé, while UConn might have the toughest road to the Final Four of the No. 1 seeds. That's the opposite of how this is supposed to shake out.

South Carolina and Arizona are two other cases where the AP voters and selection committee to a somewhat meaningful degree.

At No. 9 in the AP poll, the Wildcats would be out of the hunt for a No. 2 seed, but that's exactly where they sit in the West after the committee ranked them sixth overall. The Gamecocks, meanwhile, are 16th in the AP poll and all the way down at 24th in the committee rankings, which translated to a No. 6 seed.

Of course, the AP poll isn't meant to be a definitive indicator as to the hierarchy of college basketball. But Iowa State finishing at fourth nationally and getting drawn opposite UConn in the East might be something that's remembered if the Cyclones and Huskies cross paths in the Elite Eight.