Men's basketball AP poll: Iowa State falls off as Arizona, Nebraska and Miami (Ohio) hold as last undefeated teams

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We’re suddenly down to just three perfect teams left in the country, one of which is firmly holding down the No. 1 ranking.

Here’s everything you missed in the 11th week of the regular season, and the latest Associated Press poll.

Arizona holds as undefeated teams drop to 3

Last week it was Michigan that fell off. This time, it was Iowa State.

The Cyclones, who climbed up to a program-record No. 2 in the country after a 16-0 start, fell twice last week — first in a 21-point blowout at Kansas and then in a nine-point loss at Cincinnati. The latter marked the Bearcats’ first ever win over a top-2 team at home since 1967. The hot start for the Cyclones simply came crashing down, hard.

As a result, that dropped Iowa State seven spots to No. 9 in this week’s poll. Arizona held strong at No. 1, and actually received all 61 votes to retain the spot unanimously. The Wildcats have now held the spot for six straight weeks. This, though, was their closest week in a while. They pulled away from Arizona State late on Wednesday, thanks to 24 points and 10 rebounds from Koa Peat, and then they did the same on the road at UCF on Saturday night to get to 18-0.

UConn replaced Iowa State at No. 2, while Michigan, Purdue and Duke rounded out the top five.

There are now only two other undefeated teams left in the country. Nebraska is still perfect, and came in at No. 7 in the national polls this week. That’s now the highest ranking in school history, which is remarkable for a program that has still never even won an NCAA tournament game.

Miami (Ohio) is the other, but the RedHawks just barely made it past Buffalo on Saturday night. They needed a buzzer-beater in regulation to even force the extra period, and then a huge 3-pointer from Peter Suder to win the game in the final seconds of overtime.

TheRedHawks finally entered the poll at No. 25 for the first time this week.

Things will get tough for Nebraska in the near future. After Washington and Minnesota this week, the Cornhuskers will travel to No. 3 Michigan and then host No. 11 Illinois next week. They’ve played just two ranked opponents up until this point, and have won by a combined five points. 

As for Arizona, the Big 12 truly seems like theirs to lose, especially now that the Cyclones have fallen back.

Games to watch this week

All times ET | * denotes neutral site

Tuesday, Jan. 20
No. 15 Vanderbilt at No. 20 Arkansas | 9 p.m. | ESPN

Saturday, Jan. 24
No. 22 North Carolina at No. 14 Virginia | 2 p.m. | ESPN
No. 11 Illinois at No. 4 Purdue | 3 p.m. | Fox
No. 6 Houston at No. 12 Texas Tech | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN
Tennessee at No. 17 Alabama | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN

AP Top 25

The full Associated Press men’s basketball poll from January 19, 2026.

1. Arizona (18-0)
2. UConn (18-1)
3. Michigan (16-1)
4. Purdue (17-1)
5. Duke (17-1)
6. Houston (17-1)
7. Nebraska (18-0)
8. Gonzaga (19-1)
9. Iowa State (16-2)
10. Michigan State (16-2)
11. Illinois (15-3)
12. Texas Tech (14-4)
13. BYU (16-2)
14. Virginia (16-2)
15. Vanderbilt (16-2)
16. Florida (13-5)
17. Alabama (13-5)
18. Clemson (16-3)
19. Kansas (13-5)
20. Arkansas (13-5)
21. Georgia (15-3)
22. North Carolina (14-4)
23. Louisville (13-5)
24. Saint Louis (17-1)
25. Miami (Ohio) (19-0)

Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 64, St. John's 64, Iowa 30, Kentucky 27, Tennessee 20, Utah State 15, UCF 14, Miami 10, George Mason 10, Saint Mary's 5, SMU 3, Villanova 3, Texas A&M 2, NC State 1