AP Top 25 College Basketball Rankings: Upsets Crown New No. 1—Full List & Analysis

A new Week 2 AP Top 25 college basketball poll has Houston back on top, edging Purdue by just three points after the Cougars raced to a 2-0 start under Kelvin Sampson. Purdue, which opened the season at No. 1, slips to No. 2 despite a perfect record, setting up a potential see-saw battle all winter. Quick look at the top 10 1. Houston 2. Purdue 3. UConn 4. Duke 5. Arizona 6. Michigan 7. BYU 8. Alabama 9. Kentucky 10. Florida Key storylines • Houston’s defense has held opponents to 51.0 ppg and owns 18 first-place votes. • Purdue’s Zach Edey is averaging 24.5 points, but the Boilermakers face Memphis on Nov. 20, a résumé test that could vault them back to No. 1. • Defending champ UConn climbs to No. 3 ahead of Sunday’s showcase versus No. 5 Arizona, the week’s only top-five matchup. • Blue-blood Duke leaps two spots to No. 4 before hosting No. 25 Kansas on Monday in the Champions Classic. • BYU cracks the top seven for the first time since joining the Big 12, riding an 111.1 offensive efficiency that ranks fifth nationally. Teams rising and falling • Illinois (No. 14) and North Carolina (No. 18) each jump three-plus spots after signature wins, while Florida tumbles seven after a neutral-site loss to Baylor. • St. John’s drops eight to No. 13 as Rick Pitino’s squad searches for consistency following an upset at La Salle. • Arkansas and Kansas each slide seven and six places respectively, adding urgency to their upcoming power-conference tilts. Games to circle Nov 18: Michigan St. at Kentucky – elite backcourt duel. Nov 18: Kansas vs. Duke – measuring stick for two blue-bloods. Nov 19: Arizona at UConn – Final Four preview vibes. Nov 19: Alabama at Illinois – contrasting tempos. Nov 21: Louisville at Cincinnati – Cardinals try to stay perfect. Why it matters Early poll position historically influences NCAA tournament seeding, and eight of the past 10 national champions were ranked inside the Week 2 top 10. With conference realignment shaking up schedules, each marquee non-league matchup doubles as a statement opportunity for NET rankings and March Madness résumé building. Search-friendly takeaway Fans tracking “AP Top 25 men’s basketball rankings,” “college basketball poll today,” or “Week 2 AP rankings” should note Houston’s surge, Purdue’s narrow deficit, and a loaded slate that could reshuffle the leaderboard again by next Monday.