Men's basketball AP poll: Duke remains No. 1, Miami (OH) continues undefeated streak in last week of the season

It’s March, and tournament time is right around the corner.

Here’s everything you missed in the 17th week of the regular season, and the latest Associated Press poll.

Duke holds at No. 1

This past week was far less chaotic at the top of the national rankings.

Duke remained in the top spot after blowout wins over both Notre Dame and Virginia. That got it to 27-2 on the season and extended its win streak to six entering the final week of the regular season.

Arizona held on at No. 2, too, after a blowout win over Kansas on Saturday. The Wildcats will have to host Iowa State on Monday night, however. While the Cyclones fell two spots to No. 6 in this week’s poll, thanks to a rough home loss to Texas Tech on Saturday, that should be a tremendous “Big Monday” matchup.

Michigan rolled past Illinois by 14 points on Friday to get to 27-2, too, which kept it at No. 3 in the poll. But the Wolverines lost point guard LJ Cason for the rest of the season after he went down with a torn ACL. He was averaging 8.4 points off the bench for them this season. UConn and Florida then each jumped up two spots to round out the top five.

Though Arizona is just as dominant, Duke is in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall seed with two games left in the regular season. The Blue Devils will have two in-state rivals this week, however, first at NC State on Monday and then at home in a rematch with No. 17 North Carolina on Saturday. That comes after the Tar Heels rallied from a double-digit deficit to stun the Blue Devils in a massive upset win nearly a month ago.

That contest, part of a loaded Saturday slate throughout the sport, is sure to be just as contentious as the first. But, even before that game tips off, Duke looks well on pace to secure the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

Miami (OH) is an NCAA tournament team … right?

The RedHawks are entering the final week of the regular season as the last undefeated team standing. They should be a lock for the NCAA tournament, right?

It’s not that simple.

No. 19 Miami (Ohio) is a perfect 29-0 with two games left in the regular season. The RedHawks will take on Toledo first on Tuesday, and then will travel to Ohio on Friday night. If they can close out both of those games, they’ll become the first undefeated team in the regular season since Gonzaga back during the 2020-21 campaign. The Bulldogs made it to the title game that season, but ended up losing. Indiana in 1976 is the last team to complete a full undefeated season with a national championship.

But the MAC hasn’t received multiple bids to the NCAA tournament since 1999. So if the RedHawks don’t run the table in the conference tournament, they might not get in.

Though it has not lost, Miami (Ohio) has not beaten a ranked team or earned any Quad 1 wins all season. It’s best win was against Akron on Jan. 3, which is a game it just barely snuck out by three points. That was the RedHawks’ only Quad 2 win.

There have been several near buzzer-beaters or late wins, too, including on Friday night. Trey Perry led Miami (Ohio) past Western Michigan with a last-second layup.

Again, the RedHawks haven’t lost. That deserves a lot of credit, regardless of what league they’re in. But this has been far from a dominant season, and they’ve had an incredibly easy schedule to work with. In order for them to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007, this perfect stretch will very likely have to continue.

Games to watch this week

All times ET | * denotes neutral site

Monday, March 2

No. 1 Duke at NC State | 7 p.m. | ESPN
No. 6 Iowa State at No. 2 Arizona | 9 p.m. | ESPN

Tuesday, March 3

Toledo at No. 19 Miami (OH) | 7 p.m. | ESPN+

Friday, March 6

No. 19 Miami (OH) at Ohio | 9 p.m. | ESPN2

Saturday, March 7

Virginia Tech at No. 13 Virginia | 12 p.m. | The CW
No. 24 Vanderbilt at No. 23 Tennessee | 2 p.m. | TBD
No. 17 North Carolina at No. 1 Duke | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN
Auburn at No. 16 Alabama | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN
No. 10 Texas Tech at BYU | 10:30 | ESPN

Sunday, March 8

No. 8 Michigan State at No. 3 Michigan | 5:30 p.m. | CBS

AP Top 25

The full Associated Press men’s basketball poll from March 2, 2026.

1. Duke (27-2)
2. Arizona (27-2)
3. Michigan (27-2)
4. UConn (27-3)
5. Florida (23-6)
6. Iowa State (24-5)
7. Houston (24-5)
8. Michigan State (24-5)
9. Nebraska (25-4)
10. Texas Tech (22-7)
11. Illinois (22-7)
12. Gonzaga (28-3)
13. Virginia (25-4)
14. Kansas (21-8)
15. Purdue (22-7)
16. Alabama (22-7)
17. North Carolina (23-6)
18. St. John’s (23-6)
19. Miami (OH) (29-0)
20. Arkansas (21-8)
21. Saint Mary’s (27-4)
22. Miami (FL) (23-6)
23. Tennessee (20-9)
24. Vanderbilt (22-7)
25. Saint Louis (26-3)

Others receiving votes: BYU 74, Kentucky 47, Louisville 47, Missouri 40, Wisconsin 27, Clemson 16, Utah State 10, UCF 7, High Point 7, Dayton 5, Villanova 4, Navy 3, NC State 2, TCU 2, Ohio State 1, Santa Clara 1

Men’s basketball AP poll: Duke remains No. 1, Miami (OH) continues undefeated streak in last week of the season

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