College basketball is weird right now. Really weird. If you looked at the men's college basketball AP Top 25 a year ago, you probably wouldn't have bet a single cent on Nebraska being a top-ten team in mid-January.
Yet, here we are. It is January 15, 2026, and the sport has been turned upside down.
Arizona sits at the top, basically a unanimous No. 1 after Michigan finally tripped over a hurdle in Madison. The Wildcats took 60 of 61 first-place votes this week. They look like a machine. They are 16-0 and just finished dismantling TCU by 13 points. Koa Peat is playing like he's already in the NBA, and the rest of the roster is just... scary.
But the real story isn't just who's at No. 1. It's the fact that the "perennial losers" are suddenly the titans of the industry.
The Shocking Surge of the Unbeatens
Honestly, nobody saw Vanderbilt coming. Mark Byington has done something in Nashville that probably deserves a statue if they keep this up. The Commodores are 16-0. They haven't been in the top ten since the 2011-12 season.
They just cracked the top ten in the latest men's college basketball AP Top 25 at No. 10. They have this backcourt—Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles—that is just relentless. They’re putting up nearly 94 points a game. That is unheard of for Vandy.
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Then you have Nebraska.
Fred Hoiberg’s group is also 16-0. They moved up to No. 8 this week. That ties a school record from sixty years ago. Think about that. Most of the students on campus weren't born when Nebraska was last this good; their parents weren't even born.
Current AP Poll Top 10 (Week 11)
Arizona leads the pack, followed by an Iowa State team that is quietly also undefeated. The Cyclones are No. 2, and honestly, they have a legitimate case for that top spot too.
- Arizona (16-0)
- Iowa State (16-0)
- UConn (16-1)
- Michigan (14-1)
- Purdue (15-1)
- Duke (15-1)
- Houston (15-1)
- Nebraska (16-0)
- Gonzaga (17-1)
- Vanderbilt (16-0)
Why the Blue Bloods are Shaking
You’ll notice some familiar names are missing from that top tier. Kansas? They’re barely hanging on. Actually, they just fell out of the poll entirely after losing to West Virginia. Bill Self is a legend, but this year's Jayhawks team is struggling to find an identity. They've been unranked twice this season. That’s a sentence I never thought I’d write in 2026.
UConn is still there at No. 3. Dan Hurley has them playing that same psycho-competitive brand of basketball that won them titles, but even they have a blemish.
Michigan was the darling of the analytics world until Wisconsin beat them last week. The NET rankings still love the Wolverines—they're actually still No. 1 in NET—but the AP voters are more about "what have you done for me lately," so they slid to No. 4.
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The Big 12 is a meat grinder. Arizona, Iowa State, Houston, BYU, and Texas Tech are all ranked. If you’re playing in that conference, you’re basically in a street fight every Tuesday and Saturday.
The Risers and the Crashers
Virginia is the "Team of the Week" if you’re looking at momentum. Ryan Odom has the Cavaliers back to their winning ways, jumping seven spots to No. 16. They just swept the Bay Area schools, Cal and Stanford, by a combined 39 points.
On the flip side, Alabama is cratering.
They were the biggest faller this week, dropping five spots to No. 18. Nate Oats has a top-ten offense, but their defense is ranked somewhere in the 70s. You can’t win a national title if you can’t stop a nosebleed. They lost to Vanderbilt and then dropped a home game to Texas. It’s getting ugly in Tuscaloosa.
Florida is finally back in the mix at No. 19. They started the season at No. 3, fell completely out of the rankings for a week, and now they’re clawing their way back.
What This Means for Your Bracket
The men's college basketball AP Top 25 is starting to solidify the "tiers" for March.
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We have the "Unbeatens" (Arizona, Iowa State, Nebraska, Vanderbilt). These teams are playing with extreme confidence. However, history tells us that a perfect season is almost impossible to maintain once the deep conference schedule hits.
Watch out for BYU. They have A.J. Dybantsa, who might be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. He's averaging nearly 23 points a game. They’re currently No. 11, but they have a massive game against Arizona on January 26. That game will probably break the internet.
If you’re looking for a sleeper, keep an eye on Utah State at No. 23. The Mountain West is always underrated, and the Aggies just destroyed Boise State on the road. Mason Falslev is a name you need to know before your coworkers start talking about him in March.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're following the rankings to get an edge on your betting or just to be the smartest person at the bar, here is what you need to do:
- Ignore the "Name" on the Jersey: Don't rank Kansas or Kentucky higher just because of their history. This year, the mid-majors and the "second-tier" Power 4 schools like Nebraska and Vanderbilt have better rosters.
- Watch the NET vs. AP Discrepancy: Michigan is No. 4 in the AP but No. 1 in NET. This suggests the computers think they are still the best team in the country despite the loss. Trust the computers for long-term betting.
- Circle January 26: Arizona at BYU. It’s the game of the year. If BYU wins, the poll will look completely different the following Monday.
- Check the Health Reports: Louisville is No. 20, but they're 3-3 without Mikel Brown Jr. If he doesn't come back soon, they are a "fade" candidate.
The landscape is shifting. The old guard is vulnerable, and the new era of college hoops is officially here. Get used to seeing "Nebrasketball" in the headlines.