Feb 23, 2026

Duke rises to No. 1 in hoops poll; KU falls to No. 14

Posted Feb 23, 2026 10:02 PM

By the Associated Press

Duke's win against Michigan has pushed the Blue Devils to No. 1 in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll. Monday's poll marked a record 148th time at No. 1 for Duke. Duke claimed 56 of 61 first-place votes to supplant the Wolverines. Arizona moved up two spots to No. 2. Michigan, Iowa State and Houston rounded out the top five. No. 7 Florida and No. 17 Alabama had the week's biggest leaps. No. 14 Kansas and No. 25 Vanderbilt each fell six spots for the biggest falls. Tennessee returned to the poll at No. 22 while Wisconsin fell out.

Record Pts Prv

1. Duke (56) 25-2 1520 3

2. Arizona (5) 25-2 1439 4

3. Michigan 25-2 1433 1

4. Iowa St. 23-4 1272 6

5. Houston 23-4 1251 2

6. UConn 25-3 1211 5

7. Florida 21-6 1112 12

8. Purdue 22-5 1062 7

9. Gonzaga 27-2 1039 11

10. Illinois 22-6 895 10

11. Virginia 24-3 884 14

12. Nebraska 23-4 858 9

13. Michigan St. 22-5 856 15

14. Kansas 20-7 774 8

15. St. John's 22-5 763 17

16. Texas Tech 20-7 592 13

17. Alabama 20-7 402 25

18. North Carolina 21-6 388 16

19. BYU 20-7 361 23

20. Arkansas 20-7 356 20

21. Miami (Ohio) 27-0 335 22

22. Tennessee 20-7 288 -

23. Saint Louis 25-2 242 18

24. Louisville 20-7 186 21

25. Vanderbilt 21-6 171 19

Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 47, Saint Mary's 30, Villanova 15, Miami 10, Utah St. 8, NC State 7, SMU 4, Texas A&M 3, Iowa 3, UCF 3, High Point 2, Stephen F Austin 2, Navy 1.