St. John’s keeps climbing, Kansas drops out of latest AP Poll

By SAM LANCE

Selection Sunday is just 20 days away, and every game from here carries weight. It’s now make or break time for bubble teams, and for those who are safely in the field, the focus shifts to climbing seed lines. But exactly how do teams stack up heading into week 17?

Here’s the latest AP Poll:

1. Auburn
2. Duke
3. Florida
4. Houston
5. Tennessee
6. Alabama
7. St. John’s
8. Michigan State
9. Iowa State
10. Texas Tech
11. Wisconsin
12. Texas A&M
13. Clemson
14. Missouri
15. Michigan
16. Maryland
17. Kentucky
18. Memphis
19. Louisville
20. Purdue
21. Marquette
22. Arizona
23. Saint Mary’s
24. Mississippi State
25. BYU

Receiving votes: Creighton (53), Mississippi (28), Kansas (25), New Mexico (23), VCU (20), Oregon (20), UCLA (14), Drake (12), UC San Diego (8), Gonzaga (3), High Point (3), Illinois (3), Vanderbilt (2), Utah State (1) and Yale (1).

In an interesting footnote, the top three teams in the poll feature Jewish coaches: Bruce Pearl, Jon Scheyer and Todd Golden.

For the 2nd straight week, the top 3 teams in DI Men’s Basketball @coachbrucepearl – @AuburnMBB @JonScheyer – @DukeMBB @CoachToddGolden – @GatorsMBK https://t.co/da7btCg03w

— Jewish Coaches Association (@JewishCoaches) February 24, 2025

ST. JOHN’S RISING

St. John’s keeps rising and is up to No. 7, it’s highest ranking since December 2, 1991, after wins over DePaul and UConn. Kansas dropping out of the poll is another notable development, as it was the preseason No. 1 team. This is the first time the Jayhawks haven’t been ranked since Feb. 8, 2021. Before that, the last time Kansas was unranked was Jan. 26, 2009.

St. John's over UConn, by far. https://t.co/GQMXwAn0dz

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) February 25, 2025

The SEC’s dominance has been a theme all year, and it’s no different this week. The conference has four teams in the top-10 and eight in the top-25, most of any league. Auburn is also the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, receiving every first place vote.

The Big 12 and Big 10 follow with five teams ranked apiece. The ACC and Big East round out the power conferences with three and two teams in the poll, respectively. St. Mary’s out of the West Coast Conference and Memphis out of the American Athletic Conferences are the only two teams from non power leagues in the poll. The Gaels are ranked for the first time this season after clinching the WCC regular season title with a win over Gonzaga.

Texas A&M, Purdue and Marquette are all down five plus spots, while Michigan State, Clemson and Louisville are up five plus spots.

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