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It should come as no surprise that the winner of Saturday’s 1-vs.-2 head-to-head showdown in men’s college basketball is now the unanimous top choice in the new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Auburn is back at the top after taking down archrival Alabama. The Tigers claim all 31 first-place votes, while the Crimson Tide’s stint at No. 1 lasts just a single week.
The balloting for No. 2 was more suspenseful. For now it is Florida in second, finishing just eight poll points ahead of Duke. The No. 2 ranking is a season high for the Gators, and is their highest position since a stint at No. 1 late in the 2014 season in which they made their most recent Final Four appearance. Duke in turn is 12 points ahead of Alabama for the No. 3 spot as the Tide ebb to No. 4. Houston moves up a notch to No. 5 after a big road win at Arizona over the weekend.
TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll
Tennessee slips two places to No. 6 but managed to avoid a two-loss week with a comeback win Saturday against Vanderbilt. Texas A&M moves up two spots to give the SEC five of the top seven teams in the poll. Iowa State, St. John’s and Texas Tech round out the top 10.
Another SEC squad, Missouri, makes the week’s biggest jump from No. 22 to No. 16. The Big Ten was responsible for plenty of other shifting as No. 12 Michigan and No. 20 Maryland each gain five positions, while Purdue takes a seven-spot tumble to No. 14 thanks to a pair of defeats.
Kansas narrowly avoids the dropout list, hanging on at No. 25. The last time the Jayhawks were not in the rankings was Feb. 8, 2021. Creighton, Mississippi and Connecticut were not as fortunate, replaced by the returning trio of No. 22 Louisville, No. 23 Mississippi State and No. 24 St. Mary’s.
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