AP Poll Stunner: Massive Shake-Up at No. 1 Rocks College Basketball Rankings

The Associated Press released its Week 3 Top 25 men’s college basketball rankings on Monday, cementing the Purdue Boilermakers at No. 1 for a third straight week after their 30-point demolition of then-No. 15 Texas Tech in the Baha Mar Championship. Purdue garnered 46 of 61 first-place votes, while senior center Zach Edey’s double-double streak has the Boilermakers trending toward a second straight season headlining every “best team in college basketball” conversation. Arizona’s scorching November continued; the Wildcats vaulted to No. 2 after defeating two top-three opponents—UConn and defending national champion Florida—within their first five games, a feat matched only twice before in AP poll history. Tommy Lloyd’s group secured 11 first-place votes and owns the nation’s résumé win leader heading into Thanksgiving tournaments. Houston slipped one spot to No. 3 despite an unbeaten start, followed by surging Duke and reigning champ UConn rounding out a power-packed top five. Louisville, Michigan, Alabama, BYU and Florida complete the top 10, with Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide leaping from No. 11 to No. 8 after back-to-back neutral-site wins over top-10 foes. Biggest risers and fallers • Michigan State made the loudest climb, rocketing six places to No. 11 thanks to a statement win in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. • Kentucky tumbled seven spots to No. 19 after suffering its second loss, and Texas Tech slid five places to No. 20 in the wake of Purdue’s rout. • Blue-blood Kansas plummeted completely out of the poll for the first time this season, the program’s second early-season exit in as many years, while Wisconsin also dropped from the rankings. New faces Vanderbilt debuts at No. 24 behind a nation-leading 103 points per game, and unbeaten Indiana checks in at No. 25 after a 5-0 start that has Assembly Hall buzzing once more. Why it matters Feast Week tournaments, headlined by the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas and the CBS Thanksgiving Classic in Chicago, will pit eight ranked teams against each other over the next six days. With Duke-Arkansas, Alabama-Gonzaga and UConn-Illinois on tap, the Top 25 landscape could shift dramatically before December arrives, making this poll a crucial snapshot for bracketologists and sports-betting markets alike. Key takeaway Purdue’s grip on No. 1 looks sturdy, but Arizona’s history-making start and Houston’s defensive chokehold guarantee a three-team tug-of-war for supremacy. Add in blue-chip freshmen like Duke’s Cameron Boozer and breakout scorers at Alabama and Vanderbilt, and the 2025-26 college basketball season is set for a rankings roller coaster fans shouldn’t miss.