AP men's basketball Top 25: UConn drops from No. 2 to No. 25 after 0-3 Maui Invitational

After a stunning showing in the Maui Invitational, two-time defending men’s basketball national champion UConn is clinging to the final spot in the latest AP poll released Monday afternoon. The Huskies dropped from No. 2 to No. 25 after dropping games to Memphis (99-97 in OT), Colorado (73-72) and Dayton (85-67), the program’s first three-game losing streak since January 2023.

Kansas held onto the No. 1 spot in the Top 25 on the strength of a tightly contested win over Duke in Las Vegas, while Auburn rose to No. 2 after three impressive wins over Top 25 teams (Iowa State, North Carolina and Memphis) in Maui.

Here’s the fourth men’s basketball AP Top 25 of the 2024-25 season, along with C.J. Moore’s ballot and analysis of the new rankings.

NET reaction

The NCAA’s initial NET rankings, the primary sorting tool used by the selection committee, were also unveiled on Monday, with undefeated Tennessee topping the list, followed by Auburn, Gonzaga and Duke.

The top 25 provides a reminder that the computers are less reactive to single-game results than the human pollsters. Gonzaga has traditionally been a big beneficiary of that approach and will likely continue to be; the Zags always bump their efficiency ratings by crushing West Coast Conference opponents.

The NET also loves Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Florida, Utah State and Clemson, all teams that are underrated based on the human polls. I’m also higher on Tennessee, Pitt and Florida than fellow AP voters, and both Utah State and Clemson were close to making my Top 25 this week. I’d also caution that these early-season NET rankings often have some weird outliers due to disparate quality of competition and other factors, and it becomes a more effective sorting tool later in the season. So it’s important not read too much into them.

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Huskies in freefall

UConn went from No. 2 to No. 25 in one week. Where have we seen this before?

It’s not identical, but North Carolina’s situation two years ago came pretty darn close. The Tar Heels were the AP’s preseason No. 1 coming off a national title game appearance, held that spot for two weeks, but then dropped to No. 18 and entirely out of the rankings over the next two weeks. Those Heels made one more brief appearance in the rankings — No. 25 on Dec. 26, 2022 — and went on to miss the NCAA Tournament.

There are a few big differences between then and now. The 2022-23 Heels had four starters returning, whereas the Huskies have lost four starters. Their early struggles are more explainable than what happened to the UNC team, which would bounce back to earn a No. 1 seed in 2023-24.

Still, the Huskies need to get right quickly. They have plenty of opportunities for quality wins coming up: Baylor at home on Wednesday, followed by a trip to Texas and then a showdown with Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden. But after that, the Huskies could run into a Big East problem.

The league only got three bids last season and does not look to be as good this year. Based on preseason KenPom rankings, over half the league has underachieved thus far.

This means the number of opportunities for resume-building wins just will not be there as it may be in the SEC or Big 12. A top-three finish in the league probably gets the Huskies in, but these next three games hold more importance because of what’s coming in January and February.

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Ranked games to watch this week

No. 4 Kentucky at Clemson: Don’t be surprised if Clemson is a slight favorite. The Tigers replaced PJ Hall with Cincinnati transfer Viktor Lakhin and still have a strong frontcourt. Senior point guard Chase Hunter is off to a good start, and his matchup with Kentucky stopper Lamont Butler will be one to watch.

Michigan at No. 11 Wisconsin: Both of these teams could be surprise contenders for the Big Ten title. I ranked Michigan in the preseason and have been a believer, but Wisconsin has surprised me as much as any team in college hoops. Wisconsin’s John Tonje and Michigan’s Danny Wolf are two of the most impactful transfers of the cycle. Do not expect the usual plodding pace if you’re tuning in to watch the Badgers for the first time. Wisconsin is playing faster, and Dusty May’s Wolverines love to run.

No. 2 Auburn at No. 9 Duke: This is a battle of teams the computers love. You have KenPom’s No. 1 team Auburn against Bart Torvik’s No. 1 Duke. Now that Arizona is out of the rankings, Duke is 0-2 against teams currently ranked in the human poll. It’s also the early-season favorite for National Player of the Year Johni Broome against Cooper Flagg, the favorite to go No. 1 in the NBA Draft. Best game of the week.

No. 5 Marquette at No. 6 Iowa State: Marquette’s offense has been better than expected after the loss of Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro because Kam Jones is playing like an All-American. Iowa State’s defense has taken a slight dip from its historically great standard a year ago to just being really, really good, and its offense has made the leap to elite. This is a fun matchup between two high-effort teams. Tune in to watch Jones in one of the best atmospheres in college hoops.

No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 7 Gonzaga: Gonzaga quickly gets a shot at redemption after a slightly disappointing performance at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Both teams love to run. Expect a lot of points to be scored.

No. 11 Wisconsin at No. 5 Marquette: Wisconsin has won three straight in this rivalry game, meaning Marquette’s senior class has yet to beat the Badgers. Few probably expected this would be a battle of Top 25 teams in the preseason. Huge week for both teams.

(Photo: Marco Garcia / Imagn Images)