Saturday explained quite a bit throughout college basketball and gave us a new No. 1 team in the country as we enter the final stretch.
Here’s everything you missed in the 16th week of the regular season, and the latest Associated Press poll.
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Duke jumps to No. 1
Duke came out on top after a busy weekend in college basketball.
The Blue Devils handled Michigan on a neutral court Saturday behind 18 points from Cameron Boozer, marking easily their biggest win of the season after a pair of bad losses. That moved them up to No. 1 in this week’s poll for the first time all season. Michigan, now with just two losses on the year, moved to No. 3.
In the other marquee matchup of the day, Arizona held off Houston for a commanding Big 12 win that gave it the solo lead in the conference. The Wildcats jumped to No. 2 as a result and seem to have bounced back after back-to-back losses knocked them out of the top spot in the national rankings. With both of the underdogs winning, it marked the first time in over a year that both the Nos. 1 and 2 teams lost on the same day.
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The Cougars have now lost back-to-back games to top-10 opponents, following a loss at Iowa State last Monday. They now sit at No. 5 in the poll and have a critical matchup at No. 14 Kansas on Monday night. If they can’t steal a win in Lawrence, Houston will be in a very rough position with just a single ranked win to its name since mid-January.
Iowa State, despite a loss at BYU on Saturday night, moved up two spots to No. 4. The Cyclones have both Utah and No. 13 Texas Tech this week before a trip to Arizona next week. Miami (Ohio) is still the last undefeated team left standing. The RedHawks, at 27-0, will take on Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan on the road this week.
Is Duke set at No. 1?
While it’s undoubtedly another down year for the ACC, Duke won’t have a simple path to retaining the top ranking the rest of the season.
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The Blue Devils have to take on No. 14 Virginia on Saturday, after a trip to Notre Dame on Tuesday. The Cavaliers have won eight straight, thanks to a late foul that pushed them past Miami on Saturday, and are currently second in the ACC standings. NC State is up next week for an in-state battle, too. While the Wolfpack have had some bad losses this season, they did just roll over North Carolina by more than 20 points for a huge upset win.
And then, of course, there’s the rematch with the Tar Heels to close out the regular season.
Duke’s win over Michigan was a massive statement for the program as the season wraps up, especially looking at its losses before. The Blue Devils fell to Texas Tech by a single point in early January, and they blew a 13-point lead at North Carolina. The win over Michigan very likely gave them the inside track for a top seed in the NCAA tournament, too. Boozer, who is putting up 22.6 points and 10 rebounds per game while making better than 58% of his shots, is playing as good as just about anyone in the country. Duke is not a team one wants to face in the NCAA tournament.
But the final two weeks of the season will be far from easy.
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Games to watch this week
All times ET | * denotes neutral site
Monday, Feb. 23
No. 24 Louisville at No. 18 North Carolina | 7 p.m. | ESPN
No. 5 Houston at No. 14 Kansas | 9 p.m. | ESPN
Tuesday, Feb. 24
No. 21 Miami (OH) at Eastern Michigan | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Wednesday, Feb. 25
No. 15 St. John’s at No. 6 UConn | 7 p.m. | Peacock/NBCSN
Thursday, Feb. 26
No. 13 Michigan State at No. 8 Purdue | 8 p.m. | Peacock
Friday, Feb. 27
No. 21 Miami (OH) at Western Michigan | 6 p.m. | CBSSN
No. 3 Michigan at No. 10 Illinois | 8 p.m. | Fox
Saturday, Feb. 28
No. 11 Virginia at No. 1 Duke | 12 p.m. | ESPN
No. 14 Kansas at No. 2 Arizona | 4 p.m. | ESPN
No. 16 Texas Tech at No. 4 Iowa State | 4 p.m. | CBS
No. 20 Arkansas at No. 7 Florida | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN
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AP Top 25
The full Associated Press men’s basketball poll from Feb. 23, 2026.
1. Duke (25-2)
2. Arizona (25-2)
3. Michigan (25-2)
4. Iowa State (23-4)
5. Houston (23-4)
6. UConn (25-3)
7. Florida (21-6)
8. Purdue (22-5)
9. Gonzaga (27-2)
10. Illinois (22-6)
11. Virginia (24-3)
12. Nebraska (23-4)
13. Michigan State (22-5)
14. Kansas (20-7)
15. St. John’s (22-5)
16. Texas Tech (20-7)
17. Alabama (20-7)
18. North Carolina (21-6)
19. BYU (20-7)
20. Arkansas (20-7)
21. Miami (OH) (27-0)
22. Tennessee (20-7)
23. Saint Louis (25-2)
24. Louisville (20-7)
25. Vanderbilt (21-6)
Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 47, Saint Mary’s 30, Villanova 15, Miami 10, Utah State 8, NC State 7, SMU 4, Texas A&M 3, Iowa 3, UCF 3, High Point 2, Stephen F. Austin 2, Navy 1
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