Sports
Men’s AP Top 25 poll Week 5 reaction: What to know about every team
The fifth AP Top 25 poll of the 2025-26 season has arrived, following the first week of league play for many conferences, as well as a week that shook up many of the Top 25 teams. Saturday was the first time multiple AP top-10 teams lost nonconference home games on the same day since Dec. 6, 2017, exactly eight years ago.
After being blown out 81-58 by Iowa State on Saturday, Purdue drops out of the top 5, with the Cyclones rising up to No. 4. Arizona is now No. 1. Michigan, Duke and UConn round out the rest of the top 5.
Arkansas (eight spots), Iowa State (six), Gonzaga (three) and Texas Tech (three) saw the biggest jumps this week. Tennessee (seven spots), Louisville (five) and Purdue (five) saw the biggest drops in ranking.
Kentucky, Indiana and USC dropped out to make way for new entrants Nebraska, Virginia and UCLA.
Overall, just UConn (No. 4) and Alabama (No. 12) didn’t change position.
Let’s take a look at the Top 25, how teams got there and what’s coming up next for each team this week.
All times Eastern. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of ESPN Research.
Previous polls: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4
Previous ranking: 2
2025-26 record: 8-0
Stat to know: Arizona defeated Auburn by 29 points, its largest win over an AP Top 25 team since Nov. 23, 2002, against then-No. 19 Western Kentucky (won by 39). The Wildcats are now 95-0 (since 2018-19) when leading by 20 or more points at any point of a game.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Alabama in Birmingham, 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 3
2025-26 record: 8-0
Stat to know: Michigan has outscored its past four opponents by a combined 151 points. Three of those teams went to the Final Four within the past five years (Auburn last season, San Diego State in 2022-23, Gonzaga in 2020-21). That is the largest point differential by the Wolverines since they outscored their opponents by 151 points through four straight games in 2015-16 against Delaware State, Northern Kentucky, Youngstown State and Bryant.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Villanova, 6:30 p.m., FS1
Previous ranking: 4
2025-26 record: 10-0
Stat to know: Duke now has four wins against AP-ranked opponents this season, tied for its most within the first 10 games of a season since the AP poll era began in 1948-49 (also happened in 1978-79). The Blue Devils are tied with Arizona for most wins over AP-ranked opponents this season.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Lipscomb, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Previous ranking: 10
2025-26 record: 9-0
Stat to know: After defeating Purdue by 23 points over the weekend, Iowa State is the first team to win three consecutive meetings against the AP No. 1 team since Boston College did it from 2009-17. Each of those games have been on the road or at a neutral site, making the Cyclones the fourth team in AP poll history to have three straight meetings against AP No. 1 opponents come away from home and win all three. They join: Arizona from 1997-2001 (two road wins, one neutral), UMass from 1993-95 (all neutral) and Cincinnati from 1959-62 (all neutral). The Cyclones are also one of just two teams in AP poll history to have multiple 20-point wins against No. 1 opponents (beat Houston by 28 in the 2024 Big 12 championship game), joining North Carolina, which defeated then-No. 1 Duke by 20 in 1989 and by 24 in 1998.
What’s next: Thursday vs. Iowa, 8 p.m., FS1
Previous ranking: 5
2025-26 record: 8-1
Stat to know: UConn now has 35 consecutive regular-season wins at home against nonconference unranked opponents, the second-longest streak among current Big East teams. (Providence has 37 such wins.)
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Florida in New York (Jimmy V Classic), 9 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 1
2025-26 record: 8-1
Stat to know: Purdue’s 23-point loss to Iowa State matches the largest home loss by an AP No. 1 team in the AP poll era, tying a 96-73 loss by then-No. 1 UConn at the hands of Villanova on Feb. 18, 1995.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m., BTN
Previous ranking: 8
2025-26 record: 8-1
Stat to know: The Cougars have the longest active win streak (29) against unranked opponents in Division I men’s college basketball, after defeating Florida State over the weekend. That win also gave coach Kelvin Sampson his 807th in Division I, passing Eddie Sutton for 15th most all-time.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Jackson State, 8 p.m., ESPN+
Previous ranking: 11
2025-26 record: 9-1
Stat to know: On Friday, coach Mark Few picked up his 750th career win as a head coach, in his 903rd game. That’s the second-fewest games to reach 750 wins in Division I history, one game shy of legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp (902). (Note: Gonzaga has 751 wins during Few’s tenure as head coach, but assistant Brian Michaelson is credited with one game (a win) in 2021-22 while Few was serving a suspension.)
What’s next: Saturday vs. UCLA in Seattle, 11:30 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 7
2025-26 record: 8-1
Stat to know: The Spartans now have nine consecutive losses to AP top-5 opponents, with their last win coming Nov. 22 against then-No. 4 Kentucky. That’s their longest losing streak in such games since they went 0-15 from 1985-91, before Tom Izzo was hired.
What’s next: Saturday @ Penn State, 12 p.m., BTN
Previous ranking: 9
2025-26 record: 7-1
Stat to know: AJ Dybantsa has scored 15 or more points in all eight games this season, tying Cameron Boozer for the most such games among Division I freshmen this season. He also now passes Kevin Durant for the second-longest 15-plus-points scoring streak to begin his college career in Big 12 history. Only Trae Young has more, with 26.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Clemson in New York (Jimmy V Classic), 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 6
2025-26 record: 8-1
Stat to know: Louisville has now scored 80 points or more in eight games, its most within the first nine games of a season since 1991-92 (also eight). Among those are two wins over ranked nonconference opponents, the Cardinals’ first season with multiple wins over AP-ranked nonconference opponents since 2016-17 (three that season).
What’s next: Saturday vs. Memphis, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 12
2025-26 record: 7-2
Stat to know: Bama has won seven of its nine games this season by scoring 90 or more points, tied for second in Division I behind Kent State (eight games).
What’s next: Saturday vs. Arizona in Birmingham, Ala., 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 14
2025-26 record: 7-2
Stat to know: Illinois is now 2-4 against Tennessee after this weekend — the other win came Jan. 17, 1988. The win is also its first over an AP top-15 SEC team since Dec. 22, 1990, when it defeated then-No. 10 LSU 102-96.
What’s next: Tuesday @ Ohio State, 7:30 p.m., Peacock
Previous ranking: 16
2025-26 record: 8-1
Stat to know: Caleb Wilson has six double-doubles this season, breaking a tie with four players for most among Division I freshmen. He is also tied for fifth for the most double-doubles in a season by a UNC freshman, with Day’Ron Sharpe, Tyler Hansbrough, Rasheed Wallas and Mike O’Koren. Ahead of him are Sam Perkins (nine), J.R. Reid (nine), Armando Bacot (11) and Antawn Jamison (13).
What’s next: Saturday vs. South Carolina Upstate, 2 p.m., The CW Network
Previous ranking: 17
2025-26 record: 9-0
Stat to know: Vanderbilt has its longest win streak to begin a season since 2007-08, when it went 16-0.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Central Arkansas, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 19
2025-26 record: 7-2
Stat to know: JT Toppin has six games with 15 or more rebounds while at Texas Tech. No other player in the program’s past 30 years has had more than two such games.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Arkansas in Dallas, 12 p.m., ESPN2
Previous ranking: 25
2025-26 record: 7-2
Stat to know: Arkansas is 12-1 as a ranked team facing unranked teams under John Calipari. The sole loss came against Illinois last November.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Arkansas in Dallas, 12 p.m., ESPN2
Previous ranking: 15
2025-26 record: 5-3
Stat to know: Florida has lost three of its first eight games this season. The defending champion Gators didn’t lose their third game last season until Feb. 1 (and lost just four games overall).
What’s next: Tuesday vs. UConn in New York (Jimmy V Classic), 9 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 21
2025-26 record: 7-3
Stat to know: Without star freshman Darryn Peterson in the lineup for seven games, the Jayhawks averaged 71 points per game. With him in the lineup — he returned against Missouri for just his third game of the season — they average 84 ppg.
What’s next: Saturday @ NC State, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 13
2025-26 record: 7-3
Stat to know: Tennessee has lost three consecutive games, each of which it led at halftime. That is the Vols’ longest streak of losses when leading at halftime since losing three straight in 2019-20. They had won 10 straight games when leading at halftime before this losing stretch.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 20
2025-26 record: 7-3
Stat to know: In Saturday’s loss to Arizona, Tahaad Pettiford scored 30 of the Tigers’ 68 points. It was a career high for Pettiford, and the most points by an Auburn player against an AP top-5 team in the past 20 seasons.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Chattanooga in Atlanta, 4:30 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 23
2025-26 record: 5-3
Stat to know: St. John’s has 23 straight wins at home against unranked opponents. The Johnnies’ last home loss against an unranked opponent was Feb. 18, 2024, against Seton Hall.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Iona, noon, TNT
Previous ranking: Unranked
2025-26 record: 9-0
Stat to know: Nebraska extends its win streak to 13 games dating back to last season, the longest active win streak in Division I and tied for the team’s third-longest win streak in program history. The Cornhuskers beat Creighton by 21, the team’s largest win in the in-state rivalry since 1995-96 (also 21). Nebraska is now 9-0 on the season, tied with the 1915-16 team for the second-best start to a season in program history (started 10-0 in 1977-78).
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Wisconsin, 9 p.m., BTN
Previous ranking: Unranked
2025-26 record: 8-1
Stat to know: Jacari White went 9-for-9 from the field, and 7-for-7 from the 3-point line against Dayton over the weekend. He has made 12 straight 3s dating back to his last two on Nov. 28, the longest streak in program history — previously held by Kyle Guy in 2018-19 (11).
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Maryland Eastern Shore, 7 p.m., ACC Extra
Previous ranking: Unranked
2025-26 record: 7-2
Stat to know: Eric Dailey Jr. lead all five UCLA starters in double figures with 18 points to beat Oregon in the Bruins’ second Big Ten game on Saturday.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Gonzaga in Seattle, 11:30 p.m., ESPN
The University of Mississippi on Monday announced the upcoming launch of its new Center on Collegiate Gambling, which researchers describe as the “first of its kind in the nation” amid rising national concern about betting on collegiate sports.
The center was approved by the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees in February and will cost about $700,000 a year. It was conceived to study the “heightened risks” for college students and student-athletes caused by the rapid growth of legalized sports betting and online gambling, its founders said. Researchers said the center will now begin hiring staff.
IHL’s approval of the center follows the release of survey results by University of Mississippi researchers showing that 39% of Mississippi college students gambled in a variety of formats in the past year. Of those who engaged in sports betting, 6% of Mississippi college students met criteria for problem gambling as defined by the American Psychiatric Association.
“We really think that this is an issue that affects Mississippi at large,” Hannah Allen-King, executive director of the university’s William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing and assistant professor of public health, said in a news release. “And so, we’re trying to work with our legislators as they debate policy change around gambling in the state.”
Commercial sports betting was effectively banned with a few exceptions until 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 1992 prohibition. Mississippi allows sports betting now, but only inside casinos.
After the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision, sports gambling companies launched a full-court press lobbying campaign to bring sports betting to tens of millions of mobile phones around the country, an effort reported to be the fastest expansion of legalized gambling in American history. The companies have poured money into lobbying state legislators, including those in Mississippi.
But Mississippi has remained one of the few holdout states, largely due to fears that legalization could harm the bottom line of the state’s casinos and increase the prevalence of gambling addiction. That hasn’t stopped a thriving black market from taking hold in the state.
In 2024, illegal online betting in Mississippi made up about 5% of the national illegal market, which is about $3 billion in illegal bets in Mississippi, proponents said that year. Supporters of legalization say people will place online sports wagers regardless of whether the practice is legal, so the state should regulate and tax it.
The state House has voted, for the third year in a row, to legalize mobile sports betting during the ongoing 2026 legislative session. But Senate leaders have said they plan to let the measure die again.
Nevertheless, college campuses have become hubs of activity for sports betting and, increasingly, gambling addiction. This has prompted calls for research into mobile sports betting’s growth and impact on young adults. The new center will aim to produce such research, which its founders say is lacking without a national research center in the U.S. dedicated solely to the study of collegiate gambling.
The academic research will focus on college student gambling behaviors ranging from card games to proposition betting and prediction markets. The center will also promote “evidence-based policies and programs to prevent harm,” including training counselors to help students struggling with gambling.
Eight University of Mississippi counselors have already received the certification to better equip them to identify gambling addiction in students, the researchers said.
The rise of collegiate gambling has also led to increased threats directed at athletes, whose performance is now closely tracked by gamblers.
“In a state like Mississippi where we don’t have a lot of professional sports teams, college sports are such a big part of our culture, and a large part of our state population follows and cares about college sports,” Allen-King said. “We’ve seen that it can impact the mental health of student-athletes who are getting threatened and harassed because people are losing money because of their performance during games.
Daniel Durkin, an associate professor of social work who is also one of the center’s founding members, said raising awareness of sports gambling’s prevalence on college campuses will be a central goal.
“Part of the issue right now is everybody’s just having a good time,” Durkin said. “Look at the ads; gambling’s fun. Everybody’s doing it. The seriousness of the issues has not really come to the forefront yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
Sports
Broadcast industry CEO says consolidation is ‘essential’ to compete for NFL soaring media rights prices
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The evolution of live sports programming has become a battleground between traditional broadcast companies and streaming platforms, vying for the right to air the best games possible year after year.
The NFL is the cream of the crop, generating roughly $10 billion per year on its current media rights deal. And the league is likely to renegotiate that deal by the end of this year, with reports indicating that they want it done before kickoff in Week 1 of the 2026 season in September.
With additional media partners potentially entering the fold in this new deal, where do the incumbents like FOX, CBS and NBC lie in the pie chart that is the NFL schedule?
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The Fox broadcast team, from left to right, Tom Brady, Tom Rinaldi, Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews, and Dean Blandino pose for photo prior to an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys at Solider Field on Sept. 21, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
Curtis LeGeyt, the CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, which lobbies federal agencies and lawmakers alike on behalf of the broadcast industry, spoke with John Ourand on “The Varsity” podcast, where he suggested the broadcast industry must consolidate if it wants to continue competing with streaming platforms for live sports rights.
EX-NFL STAR SHAWNE MERRIMAN ADVOCATING FOR PLAYERS TO GET PAID MORE WHEN TV RIGHTS DEALS EXPLODE
“I think, for better or worse, (consolidation) is an essential thing right now,” he explained. “And I’m looking at this purely through the lens of broadcast. If we’re going to compete for those NFL sports rights, if we’re going to compete locally to ensure that teams feel like they have a local distribution option that is freely available through local broadcasts as opposed to the cable regional sports networks or even streaming, broadcasters need some scale in order to complete for that. The only way to gain that scale is through some level of consolidation.”
We’re already seeing key mergers across broadcast television, including Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which is awaiting approval that will likely go through. Also, the NFL and ESPN reached a landmark deal where the sports giant acquired NFL Network, NFL RedZone and NFL Fantasy. In exchange, the league received a 10% equity stake in ESPN, which was valued at around $3 billion.
A close-up view of a person operating a broadcast camera with a cover with the FOX Sports logo during the NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire)
Merging these broadcasters together can help compete against the likes of Amazon, Netflix, and perhaps others will join the fray if and when negotiations ensue for a new media rights deal. With JC Tretter elected as the NFL Players’ Association’s new executive director, those negotiations could be coming sooner than later.
Now, where does the NFL fan come into play here? The price of simply watching the NFL schedule is quite expensive, with fans having to pay at least $575 to watch every game if they wished in 2025. The need for ESPN, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and NFL+ subscriptions, among others, only points upward as media rights prices for the league continues to grow.
Fans would like it if they could access their favorite sports if its free-to-air broadcasts doing so.
A general view of the Amazon “Thursday Night Football” broadcast set with Charissa Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth and Richard Sherman during the TNF on Prime halftime show during an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 2, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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The FCC said last month it would seek public comment about the ongoing shift of live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services, which includes the other major sports leagues in the country like the NBA, MLB and more.
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Sports
Warriors’ Moses Moody leaves game on stretcher after suffering gruesome injury on dunk attempt
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Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody left Monday night’s game on a stretcher after he suffered a gruesome leg injury against the Dallas Mavericks.
Moody was all alone on his way to an easy dunk in overtime after stealing the ball from Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg. He gathered himself and went up for the slam but his knee buckled. He landed hard on the floor.
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Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) injures his leg while trying to score in front of Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) during overtime at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and players from both teams were left in disbelief.
Moody was down for several minutes as medical personnel attended to him. Kerr said after the game that Moody was getting X-rays at the American Airlines Center.
“Just saw his leg buckle. Saw him go down in a heap, in pain,” Kerr told reporters. “We don’t know what it is, but it sure looked bad. Just hoping for the best. What the best-case scenario is, that’s what we’re all hoping for. But it looked bad.”
Moody was playing in his first game since he sprained his right wrist. He led the Warriors with 23 points and three steals before the freak accident.
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) grabs his leg at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
NBA CHAMP’S IRONMAN STREAK COMES TO AN ABRUPT END DUE TO BIZARRE INJURY
“Mo is such a great human being, great teammate, wonderful guy to coach,” Kerr said. “Puts in the work every day. And was brilliant, by the way. Played so well defensively, changed the game for us with his ball pressure and knocked down big shots. So great to finally have him back. And then for that to happen, you’re just praying that it’s not too serious, but it sure looked serious.”
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski said the injury reminded him of when Jimmy Butler tore his ACL against the Miami Heat back in January.
“You just hate to see it, especially to the good people in life,” Podziemski said.
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) waves to fans while leaving the court on a stretcher during overtime against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
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The Warriors won the game 137-131. Golden State is likely headed for the play-in tournament in hopes of being one of the eight teams in the Western Conference vying for an NBA title.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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