College basketball rankings: Arizona stays No. 1 as Houston rises; UConn still leads women
A new week of college basketball rankings arrived Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, with the top lines staying steady and the middle of the polls reshuffling after a run of statement wins and a few costly upsets. On the men’s side, unbeaten Arizona held the top spot for a ninth straight week while Houston surged into the top three. In women’s basketball, unbeaten UConn remained No. 1 as Vanderbilt moved into the top five and Duke climbed sharply after a long winning streak.
The result is a familiar February tension: the contenders are separating, but the rankings are still volatile enough that one road loss can trigger a multi-spot drop.
Men’s Top 10: Arizona first, Houston surges
Arizona (23–0) stayed at No. 1 with a unanimous vote, keeping the Wildcats on a pace that now looks less like a hot streak and more like a season-long standard. Michigan (22–1) held at No. 2, continuing to pass most of the “eye test” and many analytics checks even without the top ranking.
The biggest mover at the top was Houston (21–2), which jumped to No. 3 after a strong week that included a win over a ranked opponent. Duke stayed No. 4, and Iowa State rose to No. 5, while UConn slid to No. 6 after a loss that also tightened the race behind the top tier.
Men’s Top 10 (Feb. 9, 2026):
1 Arizona, 2 Michigan, 3 Houston, 4 Duke, 5 Iowa State, 6 UConn, 7 Illinois, 8 Nebraska, 9 Kansas, 10 Michigan State.
Women’s Top 10: UConn steady, Vanderbilt up to No. 5
UConn (25–0) remained No. 1 and continues to set the pace nationally, both in wins and in the kind of weekly dominance that keeps poll voters from overthinking the top line. UCLA (23–1) held No. 2, followed by South Carolina at No. 3 and Texas at No. 4.
Vanderbilt climbed to No. 5, reshaping the top tier and giving the SEC another high-profile foothold near the summit. LSU checked in at No. 6, with Michigan No. 7 and Ohio State No. 8. Louisville sat No. 9, and Oklahoma rounded out the top 10.
Women’s Top 10 (Feb. 9, 2026):
1 UConn, 2 UCLA, 3 South Carolina, 4 Texas, 5 Vanderbilt, 6 LSU, 7 Michigan, 8 Ohio State, 9 Louisville, 10 Oklahoma.
Quick look: top five, side by side
| Rank | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | UConn |
| 2 | Michigan | UCLA |
| 3 | Houston | South Carolina |
| 4 | Duke | Texas |
| 5 | Iowa State | Vanderbilt |
The biggest movers and what fueled them
Houston’s rise into the men’s top three was the headline jump near the top, driven by a clean week against quality competition and the kind of defensive consistency that travels. Another notable men’s storyline: Gonzaga took one of the sharpest drops after an upset loss, and BYU also slid significantly following a loss to a higher-ranked opponent. Kentucky re-entered the men’s poll at No. 25 after a marquee win, reflecting how quickly a single result can restore résumé credibility in February.
On the women’s side, Duke made one of the largest leaps, climbing to No. 11 after extending a long winning streak that included a tight, high-profile victory and a lopsided follow-up. The week also reinforced conference depth: the SEC again placed the most teams in the women’s rankings, while the Big Ten remained close behind.
What to watch next week
Rankings at this stage are shaped less by “best team in a vacuum” arguments and more by schedule math: road games, short rest, and clustered matchups against ranked opponents. For the men, the immediate focus is whether Arizona can stay unbeaten through another high-pressure stretch and whether the teams behind it can avoid résumé dents. For the women, UConn’s grip on No. 1 looks firm, but the order from No. 2 through No. 10 is still fluid enough that a single upset could reorder the entire chase pack.
With conference races tightening, this is the point in the calendar when style points matter less and survival matters more.
Sources consulted: Associated Press, Reuters, NCAA, CBS Sports
