AP College Basketball Poll 2026 Released for First Regular-Season Men's Rankings

UCLA jumped 13 spots after opening the 2026-27 men's college basketball season with an upset of Arizona.

The Bruins are ninth in the new Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Wildcats, who had been fifth, are now down in 12th.

Florida consolidated its position atop the rankings with a 77-67 win over Miami and collected 53 first-place votes, while UConn made a statement by taking down reigning national champion 85-77.

Virginia is knocking on the door of the top five thanks to a 91-72 blowout of Arkansas

AP Top 25 Week 2

1. Florida (2-0)

2. Duke (2-0)

3. Illinois (2-0)

4. UConn (2-0)

5. Michigan State (2-0)

6. Virginia (3-0)

7. Texas (2-0)

8. Houston (2-0)

9. UCLA (2-0)

10. Louisville (2-0)

11. Tennessee (1-0)

12. Arizona (1-1)

13. St. John's (2-0)

14. Gonzaga (2-0)

15. Kansas (2-0)

16. Texas Tech (2-0)

17. Miami (1-1)

18. Alabama (2-0)

19. Arkansas (1-1)

20. Michigan (1-1)

21. USC (2-0)

22. Vanderbilt (2-0)

23. BYU (2-0)

24. Kentucky (2-0)

25. Nebraska (2-0)

All things considered, an eight-point loss to the Huskies wasn't a bad showing from the Wolverines given how much change they underwent in the offseason. UConn did, however, lead by as many as 18 points and was in control for almost the entire contest.

Wolverines - Huskies Full Highlights

03:59

"As I've said for two months now, this team isn't defending a national championship," Michigan coach Mike Boynton said. "They're trying to establish their own legacy. I think today was a great step forward."

The Wolverines only have one more ranked non-conference opponent (No. 11 Louisville on Dec. 5). That gives them a lot of opportunities to build some continuity between all of the new additions and few holdovers from the 2025-26 squad.

Continuity appears to be a strength for Florida.

Last year, the Gators opened with a loss to Arizona, which served as a preview of what was to come before they tipped off SEC play. Their collective strength was too much for Miami.

Thomas Haugh had a double-double (19 points and 10 rebounds) against the Hurricanes. Rueben Chinyelu collected 14 boards. And Alex Condon (11 points) and Boogie Fland (12 points) each scored in double figures. Florida also held Miami to 35 percent shooting overall and 4-of-17 on three-pointers.

UCLA coach Mick Cronin isn't on the hot seat after reaching the NCAA tournament in five of the past six years. Some other notable programs in Westwood are raising the bar, though.

The women's basketball team is the reigning national champion, while the football team is off to a 9-0 start and owns top-five status in the AP poll.

Toppling Arizona was a great way for the men's team to tip things off. Ivan Kharchenkov had a monster game (38 points and 10 rebounds) for the Wildcats, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Bruins' balance.

Looking ahead this week, college basketball fans will want to make sure their schedules are clear Tuesday night.

Michigan State and Duke head to Chicago for a 7 p.m. ET matchup, with Kansas vs. Kentucky to follow at United Center. At 8 p.m., Texas Tech will host Illinois at 8 p.m. for another Top 25 tilt.