Arizona took over the top spot in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday, a reward for a perfect start to the season that includes a quartet of wins against ranked foes, including a lopsided victory over Auburn last weekend.

Purdue, which had spent the past three weeks at No. 1, slid to sixth following its 81-58 home loss to Iowa State, and the entire poll got a shake-up as only two teams remained in the same spots from last week.

The Wildcats received 33 of 60 first-place votes from a national media panel to claim No. 1 for the first time since Dec. 11, 2023, and only the third time since the 2013-14 season. They edged No. 2 Michigan, which earned 19 first-place votes, thanks in part to wins over Florida, UConn and UCLA, along with their 97-68 romp over the then-No. 20 Tigers on Saturday night.

“Obviously it’s nothing you shy away from,” Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd said of being No. 1. “You know, you’re at Arizona. The big stage. It’s part of being at a program like this. But we have bigger things on our mind.”

The Wolverines also moved up one spot for their best ranking since March 2021. Duke claimed six first-place votes and moved up to No. 3. And the Cyclones parlayed their big win in West Lafayette, Indiana, into a six-spot climb to No. 4 and a first-place vote. Iowa State has never been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll era, which began with the 1948-49 season.

“They stole our spirit,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter, whose team tied a record for largest margin of defeat at home as the nation’s No. 1 team. “Our reason for having a high frustration level was them. They’re damn good. They took us to the woodshed.”

UConn remained ahead of Purdue at No. 5 after beating Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse last week.

Houston was seventh, Gonzaga climbed three spots to eighth, Michigan State was ninth and BYU rounded the top 10 following a week of high-profile matchups across college basketball.

Louisville dropped five spots to No. 11 after losing to Arkansas. Alabama remained at No. 12, followed by Illinois, North Carolina and Vanderbilt, the only unbeaten team in the SEC and one of just eight left in Division I men’s basketball.

Texas Tech was next, followed by the Razorbacks, who jumped eight spots after also beating Fresno State last week. Florida fell to No. 18 following its 67-66 loss to the Blue Devils, Kansas moved up to No. 19 and Tennessee finished out the top 20.

The last five in the poll were Auburn, St. John’s, Nebraska, Virginia and UCLA.

The No. 23 Huskers are 9-0 for only the third time in school history, and they have won 13 straight dating to last season, the third-longest run in school history. The ranking is their best since they were 21st the second week of the 2014-15 season.

Rising and falling

Arkansas was No. 14 in the preseason poll, nearly dropped out entirely, but made a big jump this week back to No. 17 following its two wins. Iowa State’s climb to No. 4 has been a steady one since it was ranked 16th in the preseason poll.

Tennessee tumbled seven spots to No. 20 this week following losses to Syracuse and Illinois. Purdue and Louisville each fell five spots.

In and out

Nebraska and Virginia both made their poll debuts, replacing Indiana and USC. The Cavaliers did not receive a single vote last week but earned enough to join the rankings at No. 24. UCLA also returned to the rankings as Kentucky dropped out.

Conference watch

The Big 12, Big Ten and SEC lead the way with six ranked teams apiece, but the Big 12 has the nation’s No. 1 team. It also has four teams in the top 10, the Big Ten has three and the SEC none. The ACC has four ranked teams, the Big East two and the West Coast one.

The Kansas City Chiefs‘ playoff chances took a big hit over the weekend, much to the delight of Buffalo Bills fans everywhere.

The Bills have dominated the AFC East so far this decade, but the New England Patriots are back on the prowl, and the two rivals will face off in New England this weekend.

With a win, the Patriots would clinch the division and inch closer to the No. 1 seed and bye in the AFC, but Bills legend Andre Reed is still holding on to some hope.

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“This is going to be one of those games that we got to go up and win this game. And hopefully if that happens, when that happens, the Patriots lose one or two of the last three games that they have, and Buffalo sneaks in there and wins the division. I don’t know if they’ll get a bye or not, but they’ll be able to host a playoff game at the stadium there,” Reed told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.

“The Bills, really all year have been kind of, up, down, up, down, up, down. They played like that all year. But as long as you got one-seven back there, as long as you got Josh Allen back there leading the charge there and being the quarterback there, they got a chance in any game.”

The final game before the Bills move across the street is slated for Jan. 4 against the New York Jets, and Bud Light’s new Blizzard Brews will be sold at the stadium’s farewell. The 16-ounce cans will be made of real snow from Highmark Stadium, shoveled up by Bills fans, to pay tribute to the stadium.

“This is to celebrate the fans and the atmosphere there, Bills Mafia, this is for them. And I’m glad to be partnering with Bud Light, for this Blizzard Brew here. And believe me, it’s going to be good,” the Bills legend said.

Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium on Sept. 7, 2025.  (Gregory Fisher/Imagn Images)

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“Bills fans are obviously just, they’re great fans. They live and die, sleep, drink, eat football in Buffalo. So this is, again, it’s a testament to them and their passion for the Bills and their city.”

In 1990, as the Bills made the first of four straight Super Bowls, one could have almost guaranteed that the organization would have a Super Bowl by the time Highmark Stadium closed its doors. But the Bills fell short in each of those Super Bowls, and this iteration of the Bills has yet to get over the hump.

It would be a dream to either close Highmark Stadium with a Lombardi Trophy or open the new venue with one, and with the Chiefs on the cusp of playoff elimination, the door appears as open as it ever has. The Bills have been eliminated by the Chiefs in four of the last five Januaries.

Reed does not believe that there is pressure on the Bills to win before the stadium closes, but if anything, it’s there because the Chiefs might be home this postseason.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) looks to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024.  (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

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“Well, I mean, there’s always been pressure on them. The one team that has stopped them is the Chiefs, everyone has put them out of the pasture. Until I see them laying on their back, I’m not going to say anything…” Reed said. “The Bills just got to worry about them. They can’t worry about the Chiefs or anybody else. They got to go out and play football this week against the Patriots, and then try to run the table.”

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