As expected, there’s a change at the top of the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll heading into conference championship week.
Duke takes over the No. 1 position for the first time this season. The Blue Devils received 26 of 31 first-place votes and hold the top position for the first time since Nov. 29, 2021. Houston heads into the Big 12 tournament with a season-high No. 2 ranking, picking up a pair of No. 1 nods. Auburn drops a couple of places to No. 3, though the Tigers did retain a pair of No. 1 votes despite losing their last two regular-season contests in the hotly contested SEC.
Florida climbs to No. 4 claiming the remaining No. 1 vote. St. John’s cracks the top five for the first time this season with the Big East tournament on deck.
TOP 25:Complete USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll
UP AND DOWN: Teams rising and falling in projected NCAA bracket
Michigan State and Tennessee are tied for No. 6 heading into their respective league tourneys. Alabama checks in at No. 8, with Texas Tech and Clemson rounding out the top 10.
Further down the poll, Texas A&M improves five places to No. 16 after a week with two wins that included a defeat of Auburn. No. 21 Michigan falls six spots after a pair of losses.
Illinois rejoins the poll at No. 25, replacing Virginia Commonwealth.
