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Men's basketball AP poll: Auburn hangs on to No. 1 despite loss, Alabama jumps Duke after upset at Clemson

Cooper Flagg and Duke dropped their first game in ACC play on Saturday at Clemson

ryan young
Staff writer
·4-min read

Despite a few losses at the top, we're looking at a marquee matchup in the SEC this weekend.

Here’s everything you missed in Week 14 of the college basketball season, and the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.

Auburn lost its first game in more than two months this past weekend.

The Tigers fell to Florida 90-81 at home on Saturday afternoon, which snapped their 14-game win streak that they managed to maintain despite briefly losing star Johni Broome. The win for the Gators marked their second over a top-ranked team this season. They previously grabbed a 30-point win over Tennessee. They jumped to No. 3 in this week's poll as a result. Auburn, despite the loss, still managed to hold on to the No. 1 ranking.

Duke followed suit after Auburn's loss, too. Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils, who entered the weekend on a 16-game win streak after absolutely dominating the ACC, slipped up at Clemson. The Tigers stunned Duke to grab a 77-71 win and set off a court storm in South Carolina.

While the game itself was great, the best part of the night was undoubtedly Dick Vitale’s return to the mic. The longtime ESPN announcer called the game, his first in nearly two years, after battling cancer numerous times. He crushed it, too, and got to witness an incredible upset in what he called his “Super Bowl.”

As a result, Duke dropped a spot and tied with Florida at No. 3 in this week’s poll. It seemed as if both losses would have paved the way for Alabama to jump to No. 1. The Crimson Tide cruised to a 24-point win at Arkansas on Saturday in what was their sixth straight victory. But instead, Alabama only moved up a spot and still trails Auburn. The Tide will travel to Texas before hosting Auburn on Saturday in what will now be a matchup between the top two teams in the nation.

Tennessee then rounded out the top five after the rare tie. Elsewhere in the poll, St. Johns moved up to No. 9 — which marked the program's highest ranking since the 1999-2000 campaign. Rick Pitino's team beat both Marquette and UConn last week, which extended its win streak to 10 games. Arizona climbed seven spots to No. 13, too, after its win over Texas Tech on Saturday.

The Blue Devils’ best remaining opponent on their schedule is Illinois, which has been hanging out at the bottom of the rankings for weeks now. While the ACC is almost certainly theirs to lose, Saturday’s loss proves they are still absolutely beatable entering the final stretch of the season.

As for the SEC, well that's still anybody's conference to win.

Tuesday

No. 5 Tennessee at No. 15 Kentucky | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN

No. 3 Florida at No. 22 Mississippi State | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2

No. 7 Purdue at No. 20 Michigan | 7 p.m. ET | Peacock

Saturday

No. 16 Wisconsin at No. 7 Purdue | 1 p.m. ET | CBS

No. 6 Houston at No. 13 Arizona | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN

No. 1 Auburn at No. 2 Alabama | 4:00 p.m. ET | ESPN

No. 22 Mississippi State at No. 19 Ole Miss | 6 p.m. ET | TBD

No. 11 Michigan State at Illinois | 8 p.m. ET | Fox

The full Associated Press men’s basketball poll from Monday.

1. Auburn (21-2)

2. Alabama (20-3)

T3. Florida (20-3)

T3. Duke (20-3)

5. Tennessee (20-4)

6. Houston (19-4)

7. Purdue (19-5)

8. Texas A&M (18-5)

9. St. John's (21-3)

10. Iowa State (18-5)

11. Michigan State (19-4)

12. Texas Tech (18-5)

13. Arizona (17-6)

14. Memphis (20-4)

15. Kentucky (16-7)

16. Wisconsin (19-5)

17. Kansas (16-7)

18. Marquette (18-6)

19. Ole Miss (18-6)

20. Michigan (18-5)

21. Missouri (17-6)

22. Mississippi State (17-6)

23. Clemson (19-5)

24. Creighton (18-6)

25. Maryland (18-6)

Others Receiving Votes: UCLA 123, UConn 106, Illinois 59, Louisville 53, New Mexico 40, Drake 21, Saint Mary's 20, Utah State 8, George Mason 7, Gonzaga 5