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The third AP Top 25 poll of the 2025-26 season was released Monday, and despite a push from Arizona, Purdue remains the No. 1-ranked team. The Boilermakers leapfrogged Houston last week for the top spot in the poll after recording a statement win over Alabama and received 46 first-place votes this week to remain No. 1.

Arizona comes off a statement 71-67 win on the road over UConn. The Wildcats jumped two spots to No. 2 and received 11 first-place votes in the poll. Houston also received first-place votes.

The Wildcats boast arguably the nation's best résumé so far. Arizona already has wins over Florida, UCLA and, most recently, UConn. The Wildcats face Auburn and Alabama before the calendar turns to the new year.

Speaking of Alabama, Nate Oats' team jumped back into the top 10 after a 90-86 win over Illinois. The Crimson Tide jumped three spots to No. 8 after picking up their second top-10 win.

Another winner from last week was Michigan State. The Spartans made a statement with an 83-66 win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic behind the stellar play of Jaxon Kohler, who has finished as the leading scorer in three of MSU's first five games. MSU jumped six spots to No. 11.

AP Top 25

1. Purdue (46)
2. Arizona (11)
3. Houston (4)
4. Duke
5. UConn
6. Louisville
7. Michigan
8. Alabama
9. BYU
10. Florida
11. Michigan State
12. Gonzaga
13. Illinois
14. St. John's
15. Iowa State
16. North Carolina
17. Tennessee
18. UCLA
19. Kentucky
20. Texas Tech
21. Auburn
22. Arkansas
23. NC State
24. Vanderbilt
25. Indiana

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Wisconsin 45, Kansas 34, Oregon 31, Georgetown 31, Saint Mary's 27, Nebraska 27, Ohio State 26, Missouri 20, Utah State 16, Baylor 14, Southern Cal 10, Mississippi 10, Iowa 6, Clemson 6, Santa Clara 3, Creighton 3, Oklahoma St. 2, Virginia Tech 2, Buffalo 1.

Arizona should be No. 1 ahead of Purdue

It was surprising that Arizona didn't jump Purdue for the No. 1 spot. The voters already showed willingness to move teams out of the No. 1 spot (see Houston and Purdue the last few weeks) despite either of those teams not losing. One can certainly make the case that Purdue should remain No. 1 until it sustains a loss, but Arizona should be the top-ranked team in the poll. No team in the country has a better résumé. The Wildcats recorded three ranked wins, including one against UConn. It was also surprising that the Wildcats only received 11 first-place votes.

Indiana enters the poll

For the first time this season, Indiana gets ranked in the AP poll. The Hoosiers are off to a 5-0 start in Year 1 of the Darian Devries era and have a 23-point win on the résumé over Marquette. Indiana faces a tough stretch coming up, with nonconference games against Kansas State, Louisville and Kentucky. Tucker DeVries, the son of the coach, is also off to a strong start. He averages19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists after injury cut last season short. 

Kansas drops out

Kansas is out of the AP Top 25. Kansas is off to a 3-2 start with losses against North Carolina and Duke so far. The Jayhawks have been without star guard Darryn Peterson, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, for the last three games. It's unclear when he will return to the lineup. Kansas embarks upon upcoming stretch against Syracuse, UConn, Missouri and NC State before Big 12 play begins.