AP College Basketball Poll 2025: Complete Week 17 Men's Rankings Released

Auburn's stay atop the Associated Press Top 25 poll extended into a seventh week as the Tigers kept the voters impressed with wins over Arkansas and Georgia.

It was an even better week for Bruce Pearl's squad because it widened its gap in first place in the SEC. Auburn now has a two-game cushion with four games to play thanks to Auburn's 110-98 upset to Missouri.

That result helped to drop the Crimson Tide to sixth from No. 4, while Mizzou rose from 18th to No. 14.

Week 17 Associated Press Top 25 Poll

1. Auburn

2. Duke

3. Florida

4. Houston

5. Tennessee

6. Alabama

7. St. John's

8. Michigan State

9. Iowa State

10. Texas Tech

11. Wisconsin

12. Texas A&M

13. Clemson

14. Missouri

15. Michigan

16. Maryland

17. Kentucky

18. Memphis

19. Louisville

20. Purdue

21. Marquette

22. Arizona

23. Saint Mary's

24. Mississippi State

25. BYU

Speaking of conference title races, the Big Ten is firmly up for grabs with just a few weeks left.

Michigan State overtook its in-state rival for first place by beating Michigan 75-62 last Friday in Ann Arbor. Spartans guard Jase Richardson had 21 points, six rebounds and three rebounds in the win.

Three-point shooting hasn't been a strength for Tom Izzo's team this year. Michigan State is last in the Big Ten in average makes (5.6) and three-point percentage (29.6). However, it went 9-of-22 from beyond the arc against the Wolverines.

As frustrating as the result was for Michigan, head coach Dusty May will make sure his players keep their eyes on the bigger picture. They're just a half-game behind Michigan State. Winning their next four would at a minimum mean playing for the regular-season crown when they have their rematch with MSU on March 4.

The Spartans, meanwhile, need to survive stiff tests against Maryland and Wisconsin this week. Each of those teams is two games behind the leader, so a win for either could throw the standings into further disarray.

Houston, on the other hand, can see the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament within reach.

The Cougars are three games up on Texas Tech and Arizona, both of whom tasted defeat last week. Successfully defending their home court against Iowa State on Saturday pretty much eliminated the Cyclones from the picture, too, since they're four back with four games left on the schedule.

Last year's Big 12 championship was squarely on the minds of players from Iowa State and Houston, at least among the holdovers from a season ago. Cougars guard L.J. Cryer certainly looked like somebody with a chip on his shoulder. He dropped a game-high 28 points. Teammate Milos Uzan chipped in with 19.

That the Cyclones stayed within single digits was a little impressive considering they were without guards Curtis Jones (illness) and Keshon Gilbert (muscle strain), their top two scorers.

Iowa State simply lacked the firepower to keep pace with Houston.

The last chance for anybody to catch the Cougars is probably Monday night, when Texas Tech welcomes them to Lubbock. Should Houston clear that hurdle, a fourth straight regular-season Big 12 title is all but assured.