AP College Basketball Poll 2026 Week 14 Rankings Released with Top Risers and Fallers

The Associated Press Top 25 poll looks a bit different after a wild week in men's college basketball.

Three top-five teams (UConn, Duke and Illinois) tasted defeat, while Gonzaga and Michigan State came up short against unranked foes.

The Zags and BYU experienced the biggest tumble in the new Week 14 rankings, falling six spots to 12th and 22nd, respectively. Houston benefited from all of the chaos and climbed up to third from No. 8.

Week 14 AP Top 25

1. Arizona (23-0)

2. Michigan (22-1)

3. Houston (21-2)

4. Duke (21-2)

5. Iowa State (21-2)

6. UConn (22-2)

7. Nebraska (21-2)

8. Illinois (20-4)

9. Kansas (18-5)

10. Michigan State (20-4)

11. North Carolina (19-4)

12. Gonzaga (23-2)

13. Purdue (19-4)

14. Florida (17-6)

15. Virginia (20-3)

16. Texas Tech (17-6)

17. St. John's (18-5)

18. Saint Louis (23-1)

19. Vanderbilt (19-4)

20. Clemson (20-4)

21. Arkansas (17-6)

22. BYU (17-6)

23. Miami Ohio (24-0)

24. Louisville (17-6)

25. Kentucky (17-7)

North Carolina and Duke added another dramatic entry into their legendary rivalry on Saturday night in Chapel Hill.

The Blue Devils led by as many as 14 points and were up 41-29 at halftime before the Tar Heels exploded on offense in the second half.

Still, UNC never led until senior guard Seth Trimble connected from the corner in the waning moments.

UNC GAME WINNER

00:17

Adding to the frenzy, some fans stormed the court after thinking the game was over. The officials had to clear the floor after determining there were still 0.4 seconds on the clock.

North Carolina coach Hubert Davis told reporters his team "continued to fight" after a sluggish start.

"Every time that we got knocked down, not only did we get back up, we kept taking a step forward," he said. "And as we continued to cut into the lead, our confidence just got better on both ends of the floor. Our execution got better. Our stops got better. Our communication on defense got better. Our rebounding got better. Our simple and sound plays on the offensive end got better."

After dropping three of four in January, the Tar Heels have reeled off five straight wins. Saturday's victory was the sweetest and a result that demonstrated their mettle.

St. John's made an equally strong statement as the Red Storm notched their biggest win of the season.

Rick Pitino's squad fell out of the Top 25 altogether in December, and a seven-game winning streak was only good enough to move them up to 22nd in the Week 13 AP poll.

The skepticism was warranted when St. John's had yet to beat a ranked opponent. Granted, it's just one game, but beating UConn 81-72 at home is compelling evidence the Red Storm's hot stretch is for real.

Huskies coach Dan Hurley called the contest "as hard as a game as we've had to play this year" and called St. John's frontcourt trio of Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell "grown-ass men."

"When you have to play them in Big East games, the way that the game is going to be officiated in conference play, they're built for Big East games," Hurley said.

Mitchell, Ejiofor and Hopkins combined to score 50 points, and they got to the free-throw line more times (20) than UConn did as a team (19).

The Red Storm and Huskies meet again on Feb. 25 in Storrs. That could effectively decide who wins the Big East regular-season title and another win over UConn would do wonders toward solidifying contender status for St. John's.