After a week of college basketball games, the first in-season AP Top 25 men’s poll for the 2026-27 season is out.
Florida, the preseason No. 1 team, remains No. 1. The Gators received 53 first-place votes, with No. 2 Duke receiving seven.
The biggest riser from the preseason poll was UCLA, which moved up 13 spots to inside the top 10 after upsetting then-top 5 Arizona on opening night. The Wildcats, accordingly, fell out of the top 10, falling seven spots to No. 12.
Other teams with the steepest drops from their preseason positions include Arkansas (seven spots) and Iowa State (dropped out). Nebraska replaces the Cyclones in the top 25.
Let’s take a look at all 25 ranked teams, including what got them here, and what’s next.
All times Eastern. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of ESPN Research.
1. Florida Gators
Preseason ranking: 1
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Todd Golden now has 105 wins as the Gators’ head coach, passing Lon Kruger for fifth-most in program history. Florida took down No. 14 Miami and Jacksonville to begin Golden’s fifth season.
What’s next: Tuesday at Florida State, 6 p.m., ESPN2
2. Duke Blue Devils
Preseason ranking: 2
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: With wins over Army and Coastal Carolina to start the season, the Blue Devils have won 34 straight games at home, the longest active streak in Division I.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Michigan State in Chicago (Champions Classic), 7 p.m., ESPN
3. Illinois Fighting Illini
Preseason ranking: 3
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Illinois scored 232 points in wins against Farleigh Dickinson and Penn to open the season. That’s the highest point total ever by a Big Ten team through two games, and is tied with 1970-71 UCLA for third-most by an AP top-five team.
What’s next: Tuesday at Texas Tech, 8 p.m.
4. UConn Huskies
Preseason ranking: 4
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: With a win over No. 16 Michigan on Friday, the Huskies now have 33 wins against AP Top 25 opponents since 2022-23, most in D-I.
What’s next: Monday vs. Wagner, 7 p.m.
5. Michigan State Spartans
Preseason ranking: 6
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Michigan State took down Quinnipiac and Toledo to get to 20 straight home wins against unranked nonconference opponents. The Spartans’ last such loss was in 2023, in overtime against James Madison.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Duke in Chicago (Champions Classic), 7 p.m., ESPN
6. Virginia Cavaliers
Preseason ranking: 9
2026-27 record: 3-0
Stat to know: Virginia defeated No. 12 Arkansas by 19 points on Sunday, its largest margin of victory against an AP ranked opponent since Jan. 16, 2021, against then-No. 12 Clemson (35 points). The win against Arkansas was the Cavaliers’ first over an AP top-15 opponent since Nov. 29, 2023, against then-No. 14 Texas A&M.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Bucknell, 9 p.m., ACC Network
7. Texas Longhorns
Preseason ranking: 7
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: The Longhorns haven’t lost a home opener in 25 years. That loss was Nov. 17, 2001, vs. Arizona.
What’s next: Monday vs. Grambling, 7 p.m., SEC Network
8. Houston Cougars
Preseason ranking: 10
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Houston still owns the longest-active win streak against unranked opponents in D-I, with 49 victories. Houston’s two wins this season have come over La Salle and Cal.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Jacksonville State, 8 p.m., ESPN+
9. UCLA Bruins
Preseason ranking: 22
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Mick Cronin owns the second-most AP top-10 wins by a UCLA coach, with the victory over then-No. 5 Arizona on Tuesday. Only Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer John Wooden has more with 26.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 9 p.m., Peacock
10. Louisville Cardinals
Preseason ranking: 11
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: The Cardinals scored 33 unanswered points in the second half of their 107-57 victory over Morehead State on Saturday. Per the university’s run records that date back to 2001-02, that is the longest recorded run in program history.r
What’s next: Sunday at Memphis, 1 p.m., ESPN
11. Tennessee Volunteers
Preseason ranking: 8
2026-27 record: 1-0
Stat to know: Tennessee has won 45 straight games at home against nonconference opponents, extending the longest such streak in program history. The Vols’ last home loss to a non-SEC opponent came Dec. 28, 2019, against Wisconsin.
What’s next: Monday vs. Radford, 7 p.m., SEC Network+
12. Arizona Wildcats
Preseason ranking: 5
2026-27 record: 1-1
Stat to know: Arizona is the third AP top-five team to lose its season opener in the past four seasons (84-75 loss to No. 22 UCLA). The Wildcats were responsible for one of those upsets, defeating No. 3 Florida in their season opener last season.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Northern Arizona, 9 p.m., ESPN+
13. St. John’s Red Storm
Preseason ranking: 13
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: The Johnnies scored 104 points in their 39-point win against Iona on Sunday. That is the third-largest margin of victory for St. John’s under Rick Pitino (since 2023-24) and tied for the second-most points scored in a single game of the Pitino era, behind the 108 scored against Quinnipiac last season.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Colgate, 7 p.m., Peacock
14. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Preseason ranking: 15
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Gonzaga not only got its 23rd straight season-opening win last Monday in Las Vegas, it earned its first series win against Purdue. The 78-72 victory gives the Zags a 1-5 record against the Boilermakers.
What’s next: Saturday vs. LSU, 3:30 p.m., USA Network
15. Kansas Jayhawks
Preseason ranking: 17
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: In its 89-45 win against Middle Tennessee on Friday, the Kansas bench outscored the entire opposing team 46-45. The last time Kansas’ bench outscored an opponent was Nov. 15, 2019, against Monmouth.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Kentucky in Chicago (Champions Classic), 9:30 p.m., ESPN
16. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Preseason ranking: 19
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Texas Tech’s first two wins of the season over Jackson State and Bethune-Cookman upped their nonconference home game win total since December 2013 to 102, according to the Associated Press. Their only loss during that 13-year stretch was to then-No. 15 Kentucky in overtime on Jan. 25, 2020. Since Grant McCasland took over as head coach in 2023, Texas Tech is 25-0 in nonconference home games.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Illinois, 8 p.m., Peacock
17. Miami Hurricanes
Preseason ranking: 14
2026-27 record: 1-1
Stat to know: Miami scored 83 points and held Wagner to 57 on Saturday. The Hurricanes have now 21 consecutive games in which they have allowed fewer than 60 points. Its last such defeat was a 46-44 loss to Virginia in March 2020.
What’s next: Monday vs. North Florida, 7 p.m., ACC Network
18. Alabama Crimson Tide
Preseason ranking: 20
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Amari Allen is the fourth player in Alabama history to record a triple-double, joining Aaron Estrada, Kyra Lewis Jr. and Roy Rodgers (twice). Allen had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in Alabama’s win over Arkansas State on Friday.
What’s next: Monday vs. Oakland, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network+
19. Arkansas Razorbacks
Preseason ranking: 12
2026-27 record: 1-1
Stat to know: Sunday’s loss to No. 9 Virginia marked the Razorbacks’ fourth consecutive defeat to an AP top-10 team. Their longest losing such streak is eight from January 2024 to February 2025.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Robert Morris, 8 p.m., SEC Network+
20. Michigan Wolverines
Preseason ranking: 16
2026-27 record: 1-1
Stat to know: The loss to UConn on Friday was the Wolverines second to an AP top-10 team since the beginning of last season (they lost to Duke 68-63 in February).
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Marquette, 7 p.m., FS1
21. USC Trojans
Preseason ranking: 21
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Alijah Arenas and Rodney Rice are the first USC players to score 30 points each in the same game (Sunday against Wichita State) since Nikola Jovanovic and Katin Reinhardt in January 2015 against Colorado. They combined for 62 points and 10 assists, while the rest of the team had 31 points and four assists. Rice is also the third USC player in the past 20 seasons with at least 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a game, joining Drew Peterson in 2023 and Chad Baker-Mazara last year.
What’s next: Wednesday at Cal, 11 p.m., ESPN2
22. Vanderbilt Commodores
Preseason ranking: 24
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: With wins over Bellarmine and Wake Forest to begin the campaign, Vanderbilt is up to 21 consecutive regular-season wins against nonconference opponents, the longest active streak in D-I.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Memphis, 7:15 p.m., SEC Network+
23. BYU Cougars
Preseason ranking: 25
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Robert Wright III scored 35 points to help BYU beat Ohio State in Salt Lake City last Monday. Wright is the first BYU player to score 30 points in a season opener since current BYU women’s basketball coach Lee Cummard had 36 against Long Beach State on Nov. 14, 2008.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Queens University, 9 p.m., ESPN+
24. Kentucky Wildcats
Preseason ranking: 23
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Kentucky has 14 straight nonconference wins against unranked opponents after defeating Manhattan and James Madison to start the season. The Wildcats’ last such loss was to Ohio State in December 2024.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Kansas in Chicago (Champions Classic), 9:30 p.m., ESPN
25. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Preseason ranking: Unranked
2026-27 record: 2-0
Stat to know: Nebraska’s 67-58 win over Providence on Saturday marked it’s 24th consecutive regular-season nonconference win, the longest such streak in school history, according to the Associated Press.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Lindenwood, 9 p.m., FS1