College Basketball Rankings: Predicting the AP Poll Top 25 as regular season ends, conference tournaments start

As college basketball’s regular season officially comes to a close, it is time for the AP Poll Top 25 to set the tone for where teams stand entering their conference tournament with hopes of extending the season through the weekend and into the NCAA Tournament.

The season has featured plenty twists and turns, leading into one of the most unpredictable March Madness starts in recent memory. Among the contenders, many have held onto their spot in the rankings even through the ups and downs.

With big matchups finishing out the stretch of games with a predetermined schedule, there promises to be plenty movement across the rankings. With movement everywhere, here is a predictive look at what the final regular season 2024-25 AP Poll Top 25 could look like on Monday.

Predicted AP Poll Top 25

1. Duke (Last Week: 2)

Duke finishes the ACC regular season strong, blowing out Virginia Tech on the way to a rivalry win against North Carolina to lock up a conference title and potentially move themselves to the top spot in the Top 25 after Auburn’s struggles.

2. Auburn (Last Week: 1)

Auburn took two losses in the same week to close the regular season, matching the number the suffered the rest of the year to that point. Losses against Texas A&M and Alabama might not impact their NCAA Tournament seed but will cost them with AP voters.

3. Houston (Last Week: 3)

Houston finished off its strong regular season stretch, picking up wins over Kansas and Baylor to complete their dominant Big 12 title run which saw them win by multiple games atop the conference. The Cougars look likely to hold steady in the AP Poll.

4. Florida (Last Week: 5)

Florida continued to rebound from a recent loss, adding wins against Alabama and Ole Miss to its resume. The Gators now look likely to climb the Top 25 once again when the AP Poll releases on Monday.

5. St. John’s (Last Week: 6)

St. John’s capped the dominant run through the Big East with a win over Marquette, leaving no doubt who the top team in the conference is this season. The now wait to see whether the voters reward the effort with another move up the board.

6. Tennessee (Last Week: 4)

Tennessee suffered a loss in the midweek slate against Ole Miss, but rebounded in the regular season finale to defeat South Carolina. The Volunteers might have limited their fall in the Top 25, but did not pick up the kind of resume-building win to hold steady.

7. Alabama (Last Week: 7)

Alabama started the week with a loss against Florida, but rebounded with a road win against Auburn to repair any damage done to the resume immediately. The bounce back also open the door for the Crimson Tide to avoid another slide in the Top 25.

8. Michigan State (Last Week: 8)

Michigan State picked up a win over Iowa thanks to a comeback effort which likely saved their spot in the Top 10 of the AP Poll. A rivalry win over Michigan locked it up and put another big positive on the resume.

9. Texas Tech (Last Week: 9)

Texas Tech keeps building up a resume worth talking about, winning against Colorado and Arizona State to make a clean regular season finish. The Red Raiders now turn their attention to a Big 12 Tournament run to raise their stock even more.

10. Clemson (Last Week: 11)

Clemson promises to vault into the Top 10 of this week’s AP Poll after another strong week saw them win against Boston College and Virginia Tech. The Tigers continue to watch teams drop games while they ride a nine-game win streak.

Predicting 11-25

11. Maryland (Last Week: 13)
12. Louisville (Last Week: 14)
13. Iowa State (Last Week: 10)
14. Memphis (Last Week 16)
15. Wisconsin (Last Week: 12)
16. Kentucky (Last Week: 19)
17. Texas A&M (Last Week: 22)
18. BYU (Last Week: 23)
19. Purdue (Last Week: 18)
20. Missouri (Last Week: 15)
21. St. Mary’s (Last Week: 21)
22. Michigan (Last Week: 17)
23. Oregon (Last Week: NR)
24. Illinois (Last Week: NR)
25. Marquette (Last Week: 20)

Projected to drop out: Arizona (Last Week: 24), Mississippi State (Last Week: 25)