Men's basketball AP poll: Iowa State slips as Auburn survives chaotic week in the SEC


MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA - JANUARY 18: Javon Small #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers celebrates as fans storm the court after a 64-57 victory against the Iowa State Cyclones at WVU Coliseum on January 18, 2025 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

The Cyclones had won 12 straight before falling at West Virginia on Saturday afternoon. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

The top of the SEC didn’t flinch this past week, but there was major movement in the rest of the conference during what turned out to be a pretty chaotic week in the sport.

Here’s everything you missed in Week 11 of the college basketball season, and the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.

Just a week ago, the Cyclones secured their best ranking in program history at No. 2. They picked up a commanding win over Hunter Dickinson and Kansas on Wednesday night, too, and pushed their win streak to 12 — which was the best in the country.

But on Saturday, that all came to an end.

West Virginia stunned Iowa State in Morgantown with a 64-57 upset, thanks to 12 points from Javon Small in the final two minutes of the game. Iowa State had 14 turnovers as a group, went 1-of-17 from the 3-point line and shot just seven free throws the entire game. The Cyclones were held to by far their lowest point total of the season.

As a result, Iowa State dropped one spot to No. 3 in the AP poll. It’s still the highest-ranked team in the Big 12. Kansas moved to No. 12 this week, and Houston came in at No. 7. Duke leapt Iowa State to No. 2.

As for the SEC, things turned pretty tumultuous across the board on the court. But there was little movement in the poll in a week where several top teams SEC teams lost to ranked conference opponents.

Auburn held strong as the unanimous No. 1 team this week even without star Johni Broome — who went down earlier this month with an ankle injury. The Tigers absolutely rolled over Mississippi State on Tuesday in a blowout statement win. They then snuck past Georgia on Saturday, which pushed them to 17-1 on the season. They have Tennessee this week, which will be another tough battle for them — especially if Broome isn’t back.

The Vols, however, lost again after suffering their first loss of the season earlier this month. Jason Edwards put up 18 points for Vanderbilt to lead the Commodores to a stunning one-point win in Nashville on Saturday. It marked Vanderbilt’s second win over Tennessee in their last 14 matchups. Tennessee, now having lost two of its last four, remained at No. 6 this week. The Vols will host No. 14 Mississippi State on Tuesday before traveling to Auburn on Saturday. It marks the beginning of a stretch where they’ll take on four straight ranked opponents in an increasingly chaotic SEC, so they’ll need to rebound quickly if they are going to keep up with Auburn in the conference.

Alabama also fell at home to Ole Miss on Tuesday night, and unranked Missouri knocked off Florida in Gainesville. The Crimson Tide responded and beat Kentucky on the road on Saturday, however, but also remained unmoved in the poll at No. 4. Florida stayed put at No. 5. The SEC has nine teams ranked throughout the poll, including five in the top 10.

Duke moved up to No. 2 in the poll this week after Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils grabbed their 12th straight win on Saturday. Flagg scored 28 points to lead them to a 25-point blowout win over Boston College. Iowa State, Alabama and Florida round the rest of the top five.

Outside of Auburn, the SEC seems to be beating itself up quite a bit as we get into the thick of conference play. That’s sure to come for the Tigers eventually, though they are undoubtedly in the best position even without their star player available. As for the Cyclones, they are still in the driver’s seat in the Big 12 despite Saturday’s loss. If they can rebound quickly over the next few weeks — they’ll take on UCF, Arizona State, Arizona and Kansas State, all of which are very winnable — the loss at West Virginia will just be a blip on their résumé.

Tuesday, Jan. 21

No. 14 Mississippi State at No. 6 Tennessee | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2

Wednesday, Jan. 22

No. 13 Texas A&M at No. 16 Ole Miss | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN2

Friday, Jan. 24

No. 14 Michigan at No. 11 Purdue | 8 p.m. ET | FOX

Saturday, Jan. 25

Georgia at No. 5 Florida | 3:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network

No. 7 Houston at No. 12 Kansas | 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

No. 6 Tennessee at No. 1 Auburn | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

The full Associated Press men’s basketball poll from January 20, 2025.

1. Auburn (17-1, all 62 first-place votes)

2. Duke (16-2)

3. Iowa State (15-2

4. Alabama (15-3)

5. Florida (16-2)

6. Tennessee (16-2)

7. Houston (14-3)

8. Michigan State (16-2)

9. Kentucky (14-4)

10. Marquette (15-3)

11. Purdue (15-4)

12. Kansas (13-4

13. Texas A&M (14-4)

14. Mississippi State (15-3)

15. Oregon (15-3)

16. Ole Miss (15-3)

17. Illinois (13-5)

18. Wisconsin (15-3)

19. UConn (13-5)

20. St. John’s (16-3)

21. Michigan (14-4)

22. Missouri (15-3)

23. West Virginia (13-4)

24. Memphis (14-4)

25. Louisville (14-5)

Others Receiving Votes: Texas Tech 104, Utah St. 38, Vanderbilt 35, Gonzaga 34, Georgia 30, Clemson 30, Arizona 21, Saint Mary’s 12, Cincinnati 4, Baylor 4, UC Irvine 3, Wake Forest 2, Creighton 2, Bradley 1, Maryland 1.



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