Coaches Poll Top 25 College Basketball Rankings released after Week 8

The USA TODAY Coaches Poll Top 25 has been updated following an awesome eighth week for the 2024-2025 men’s college basketball season.

There weren’t many compelling games, as is usually the case during the holiday season. However, as we prepare to turn the page to the 2025 portion of their schedule, conference play is picking up, and there’s some marquee showdown on the horizon.

With that in mind, the sport’s brightest coaching minds put their brains together to come up with some rankings after Week 8. Check out the Top 25 below, and see if your team made the cut following the second week of a new campaign.

1. Tennessee

Tennessee remains Coaches Poll after Week 8, taking care of business in one of the few games played by the best in the country.

At 12-0, the Volunteers have one more game remaining in 2024, but they’ll play twice this week. Norfolk State is on the docket for Tuesday afternoon, and a clash with Arkansas will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.

2. Auburn

Auburn got a week off, as the team prepares for the final days of 2024, and now they’ll ready to take their impressive resume into SEC play.

The Tigers face Monmouth at 6:30 p.m. ET on Monday, before a Saturday showdown with the Missouri Tigers to kick off their conference slate.

3. Iowa State

Iowa State also got a week off from game action, and will soon turn focus toward the Big 12 schedule.

The Cyclones have a clash with Colorado at 9:00 p.m. ET on Monday. Then, Baylor is coming to Ames on Saturday afternoon. It won’t be an easy week for Iowa State.

4. Duke

No games were played by Duke over the past seven days, with the end of the non-conference schedule soon to give way to a full ACC slate.

The Blue Devils will take on Virginia Tech at 4:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Then, they’ll travel to face SMU at 2:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, as well.

5. Florida

Florida had one local matchup over the past week, taking on Stetson before turning attention to the conference schedule, a 40-point win.

The Gators are done for 2024, and their next game will be against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday afternoon, which will be a behemoth of a showdown.

6. Alabama

Alabama scheduled one game over the week, facing South Dakota State just one week after playing North Dakota on the road.

The Crimson Tide won’t play again until Saturday. That’s when they’ll welcome Oklahoma to Tuscaloosa for a freshly-minted SEC battle.

7. Kansas

Kansas had no games on the schedule this week, but the Jayhawks are now ready to dive fully into a Big 12 schedule.

They’ll face West Virginia in an exciting New Year’s Eve showdown between two 9-2 teams. Then, UCF is on the docket for Saturday afternoon, and the Knights are off to a roaring start on the season.

8. Marquette

A week off for Marquette has them ready to look ahead at the coming game including the full Big East schedule.

Next up is a New Year’s Eve clash with Providence. The Golden Eagles will be looking for their twelfth win of the season to send 2024 out with a bang.

9. Oregon

Oregon scheduled one matchup against Weber State this week, wrapping up the non-conference before taking on the new-look Big Ten.

Their first foray will be this week’s clash with Illinois on Thursday night, before taking on Maryland come Sunday, as well.

10. Oklahoma (+1)

Oklahoma took care of business by 22 points against Prairie View in their lone contest this past week, as they advanced their perfect record to 13-0.

Conference play begins this week, and the Sooners will be tested with a showdown in Tuscaloosa, as they’re on the road against Alabama this coming Saturday. It should be a doozy.

Coaches Poll Top 25 — Nos. 11-25:

11. Kentucky (-1)
12. Texas A&M (+1)
13. Connecticut (+1)
14. Houston (-2)
15. Michigan State (+3)
16. Mississippi State (+3)
17. Cincinnati
18. UCLA (+3)
19. Gonzaga (-4)
20. Illinois (+2)
21. Baylor (+2)
22. Purdue (+3)
23. Ole Miss (-7)
24. Maryland (NR)
25. Memphis (NR)

Schools Dropped Out: No. 20 San Diego State; No. 24 St. John’s

Others Receiving Votes: St. John’s 70; Arkansas 58; Drake 53; Michigan 49; Utah State 42; Georgia 36; San Diego State 30; Dayton 19; Texas Tech 12; Pittsburgh 10; Clemson 9; West Virginia 8; Missouri 6; North Carolina 1

As you can tell, this is where college basketball’s top coaches landed this week on their rankings. Check back next week to find out if your team made a move up the ladder in the USA TODAY Coaches Top 25 Poll, which is bound to fluctuate throughout the season.

On3’s James Fletcher III contributed to this article.