College Basketball: Coaches Poll Top 25 updated after ninth week of season

The latest version of the USA Today College Basketball Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings have been updated after the first week of 2024 for college basketball.

As college football comes to an end on Monday, college basketball will take center stage in the eyes of many college sports fans. The last week was a tease for what’s to come, as we saw some fantastic action, such as North Carolina taking care of business against Clemson, and Kansas surviving an onslaught from TCU.

Let’s dive into the latest coaches poll rankings from USA Today after the ninth week of the season. Here’s where each team stands at the moment, as we move forward through the first month of a new year.

1. Purdue

Purdue took care of business on the road against Maryland before overcoming a late push by Illinois to finish the week 2-0 and maintain their grip on the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll.

The Boilermakers will head on the road to play Nebraska before a home game against Penn State next week.

2. Houston

Now the last undefeated team in the country, Houston won its first ever Big 12 game easily against West Virginia.

The Cougars ramp up the conference schedule with two road games this week, first against Iowa State, then TCU.

3. Kansas

Kansas opened Big 12 play with a close win over TCU, leaving no reason to drop them in the rankings despite increasing questions about their analytic rankings in the NET (11) and KenPom (16).

Next week, the Jayhawks will play UCF on the road and take on Oklahoma in a ranked matchup as well.

4. UConn

UConn took care of business against DePaul and Butler this week, helping them maintain their spot while building momentum toward the top of the Big East. As Dan Hurley reminded the Butler crowd, they are the reigning champions after all. 

The Huskies will play games against Xavier on the road and Georgetown at home next week.

5. Tennessee

After a week off, Tennessee wrapped up the non-conference schedule with an easy win over Norfolk State. They carried the momentum into a game against previously unbeaten Ole Miss, taking care of business to plant themselves atop the SEC.

The Volunteers have two road games scheduled next week, starting with Mississippi State and then against Georgia.

6. Kentucky

Kentucky picked up a nice road win against Florida in comeback fashion, showcasing the improvements made over the non-conference portion of the season.

The Wildcats will play Missouri on Tuesday before heading on the road to face Texas A&M on Saturday.

7. North Carolina

The ACC slate started well for North Carolina, which picked up two road wins against Pittsburgh and Clemson. The later was a Top 25 matchup, helping build a case to move up in the rankings.

The Tar Heels continue their run through the ACC with a road game against rival NC State before a home game against Syracuse wraps up the next week.

8. Arizona

Arizona faced a difficult week with games against NCAA Tournament contenders Colorado and Utah, but ended the week 2-0 and improved their standing after a slip at the end of December.

The Wildcats will play Washington State on the road in their only matchup of the week on Saturday.

9. Oklahoma

Oklahoma won it’s only game of the week by knocking off Iowa State on Saturday. The Sooners project to crack the Top 10 here by improving to 13-1 and starting conference play 1-0.

The Sooners are scheduled to face TCU and Kansas next week, with both road games serving as a true test after a great start.

10. Illinois

Illinois started their week with a win over Northwestern, ringing in 2024 with a 30-point victory. However, they were unable to pull a massive victory off against Purdue on Friday, as they fell to the Boilermakers by five.

This week, the Fighting Illini won’t play again until Sunday. It’ll be a date with Maryland, who’s moving up the standings after a couple wins in the Big Ten.

College Basketball Updated Coaches Poll — 11-25:

11. Duke
12. Marquette
13. Memphis
14. Baylor
15. Wisconsin
16. Auburn
17. BYU
18. Colorado State
19. SDSU
20. Creighton
21. Gonzaga
22. Clemson
23. Utah State
24. FAU
25. Ole Miss

As you can see, the USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25 reflects some of the wonderful action we saw on the hardwood over the last week and change. We’ll see how it changes over the next week, with some fascinating showdowns slated to take place.

On3’s James Fletcher III contributed to this article.