Week 1 of the college basketball season is behind us and the chalk of the Preseason AP Top 25 largely held. While there were a few strange results, including Oklahoma's home loss to East Texas A&M, the upcoming poll shouldn't look too different after most top teams played buy games to get their rotations into a flow.
Let's take a peak at this week's projected AP Top 25 rankings and dive deeper into some of the most impactful games below. There will be one shakeup inside the Top 5, however, after No. 5 Arizona lost in a neutral site tilt to No. 22 UCLA on Monday.
Projected AP Top 25 rankings after first week of the college basketball season
- Florida Gators
- Duke Blue Devils
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- UConn Huskies
- Michigan State Spartans
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Texas Longhorns
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Arizona Wildcats
- Houston Cougars
- UCLA Bruins
- Louisville Cardinals
- St. John's Red Storm
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Miami Hurricanes
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Michigan Wolverines
- USC Trojans
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- BYU Cougars
- Memphis Tigers
Florida puts together strong statement against Miami
One of the highlights of Opening Night saw the top team in the land, No. 1 Florida, take on No. 14 Miami in an in-state showdown in Tampa. Despite the Hurricanes having a team capable of challenging Duke in the ACC, they looked ill-prepared for the length of the Gators, losing by 10 as the chemistry Florida had won the day.
The limited impact of Miami star Malik Reneau, who spent most of the day in foul trouble, was a decisive factor in this contest. Florida demonstrated great ball movement, racking up 17 assists on 34 made baskets, but they did showcase a flaw in the form of their free throw shooting, missing 15 free throws on the night.
UCLA hangs on to pull off an upset against Arizona
Both No. 5 Arizona and No. 22 UCLA deserve credit for keeping their series going despite playing in separate conferences after the collapse of the original Pac-12. This game has been played at neutral sites for the past few years, but having it on Opening Night was a new development for the Bruins, who got out of the gate fast and held on to earn a significant victory with a nine-point win over the Wildcats.
The best individual player in the game was Arizona's Ivar Kharchenkov, who racked up 38 points on 12-of-20 shooting, but the rest of his teammates only put up 37. It was a far more balanced effort for the Bruins, who saw Trent Perry lead the way with 21 points as seven different UCLA players recorded at least seven points.
UConn gets revenge against Michigan in Boston
Getting a national title rematch in the first week of the season is also a rare treat with No. 4 UConn and No. 16 Michigan playing an epic contest at TD Garden. The venue offered what felt like a legitimate home-court advantage for the Huskies, who took advantage by outlasting the new-look Wolverines 85-77 to avenge their loss in April.
It was a two-man show for the Huskies as Braylon Mullins and Silas Demary Jr. combined for 44 points on 19 shot attempts. The game was actually a big positive for Michigan, which had big questions after losing their entire front line and head coach Dusty May to the NBA, as the Wolverines gave UConn everything they could handle and raised confidence in their ability to be a factor in the top-heavy Big Ten.
Virginia smokes Arkansas in Washington
Razorbacks' head coach John Calipari had a rather prophetic comment at SEC Media Day when he made fun of himself for the decision to play Virginia in the first week of the season. The result certainly backed Calipari's concern as the Cavaliers absolutely smoked No. 12 Arkansas, winning 91-72 on the strength of a first-half blitz where they entered the locker room up by 19.
John Calipari back at SEC Media Days;
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 8, 2026
"Why we scheduled Virginia the first week of the season, I must've been on crack..." 🥴 pic.twitter.com/QUiTLh5hfP
The end line looked far kinder to Arkansas than it should have, as the Cavaliers essentially took their foot off the gas after the break. Defense was apparently optional for Arkansas against Virginia's starting five, who all scored at least 13 and registered all but 16 of the Cavaliers' points on the day.
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