AP Top 25 Basketball: Arizona and UConn Sit No. 1 as Newcomers Crash the Men’s Poll and Iowa Jumps in the Women’s Top 10

Mo. Basuony

ago 2 hours

AP Top 25 Basketball

The newest AP Top 25 basketball rankings (released Monday, January 19, 2026) delivered a clear headline: Arizona is the unanimous No. 1 in the men’s poll, while UConn remains the unanimous No. 1 on the women’s side. The ripple effects show up everywhere else, too, with fresh faces entering the men’s rankings and movement across the women’s top 25 that reshapes the next two weeks of marquee matchups.

Another way to read this week: the top is stabilizing, but the middle is getting volatile, and the final few spots are wide open for teams that can stack wins in conference play.

Men’s AP Top 25 basketball: Full rankings (Jan. 19, 2026)

Arizona (18-0)
UConn (18-1)
Michigan (16-1)
Purdue (17-1)
Duke (17-1)
Houston (17-1)
Nebraska (18-0)
Gonzaga (19-1)
Iowa State (16-2)
Michigan State (16-2)
Illinois (15-3)
Texas Tech (14-4)
BYU (16-2)
Virginia (16-2)
Vanderbilt (16-2)
Florida (13-5)
Alabama (13-5)
Clemson (16-3)
Kansas (13-5)
Arkansas (13-5)
Georgia (15-3)
North Carolina (14-4)
Louisville (13-5)
Saint Louis (17-1)
Miami (Ohio) (19-0)

What changed fast

Arizona’s unanimous No. 1 matters because it’s not just “still top-ranked,” it’s the league-wide acknowledgment that the Wildcats have separated from the pack right now. The other headline is who showed up near the bottom: Saint Louis and Miami (Ohio) joined the poll, with Miami (Ohio) landing at No. 25.

Women’s AP Top 25 basketball: Full rankings (Jan. 19, 2026)

UConn (18-0)
South Carolina (19-1)
UCLA (17-1)
Texas (19-2)
Vanderbilt (18-0)
LSU (17-2)
Michigan (15-2)
Louisville (18-3)
TCU (18-1)
Iowa (16-2)
Kentucky (17-3)
Ohio State (16-2)
Michigan State (17-2)
Baylor (17-3)
Maryland (17-3)
Oklahoma (14-4)
Tennessee (13-3)
Ole Miss (16-4)
Texas Tech (19-1)
Princeton (15-1)
Duke (13-6)
West Virginia (15-4)
Alabama (17-3)
Nebraska (14-4)
Washington (14-4)

The biggest women’s storyline this week

Iowa is back in the top 10, and the top of the poll remains a two-team standard: UConn at No. 1 and South Carolina at No. 2. Just as important, teams re-entered the top 25 (including Duke, West Virginia, and Washington), a sign that the back third of the rankings is tightening as conference schedules pile up.

What this means for you: ap top 25 basketball

Rankings matter most right now in three practical ways:

Selection and seeding pressure starts early. Even before March, top-25 wins become currency. Teams near the bubble of the rankings often get fewer “free” games, so every week in or out of the poll can shape how a résumé looks later.
The next slate of games gets heavier. Top teams draw every opponent’s best shot, and ranked-vs-ranked matchups tend to pile up quickly once conference play hits full speed. That’s where a No. 7 vs. unranked game can feel like a ranked game anyway.
The bottom of the poll is an open door. On the men’s side especially, Nos. 20–25 are a live zone. One bad week can knock a team out; one strong week can bring a new name in. If you’re tracking “who’s next,” those are the spots to watch.

Quick takeaways to track this week

Arizona’s No. 1 is now the standard on the men’s side and the unanimous vote signals real separation.
Nebraska staying unbeaten and rising into the top 10 keeps pressure on the teams above it.
Two new men’s entrants (Saint Louis and Miami (Ohio)) change the “quality win” math for their conferences immediately.
UConn’s women remain firmly in control at No. 1, while the chase pack is deep and changing weekly.
Iowa’s jump into the women’s top 10 reshapes the list of “must-watch” matchups in the weeks ahead.

Midseason polls have a familiar rhythm: early stability at the very top, then churn beneath it as conference play forces contenders to prove they can win on short rest, in tough road environments, and against opponents that already know their playbook. This is also the time of year when a team’s identity becomes clearer: elite defense travels, depth starts to matter, and close-game execution becomes a weekly test.

Arizona’s men and UConn’s women set the pace entering the next stretch, but the more interesting story may be the crowd forming behind them. The signal to watch next isn’t just “who’s ranked,” it’s who can string together two clean weeks without a slip, because right now the middle and bottom of the AP Top 25 basketball polls are moving fast.