AP College Basketball Poll 2026 Week 13 Rankings Released with Top Risers and Fallers

With another week of the 2025-26 men’s basketball season in the books, only two teams remain unbeaten in Division I.

Nebraska dropped a nail-biter to Michigan on Jan. 27 and then came up short 78-69 to Illinois on Sunday. Back-to-back defeats dropped the Cornhuskers from No. 5 to ninth in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Illinois (No. 5) saw the biggest leap up the rankings while Arkansas’ fall eclipsed that of Nebraska as the Razorbacks are down six spots to No. 21.

10. Michigan State (19-3)

14. North Carolina (17-4)

A month ago, BYU was a Top 10 team en route to a 16-1 start. The Cougars are now in 16th after dropping three of their last four.

The losses came against Texas Tech, Arizona and Kansas, so none is bad in isolation. Taken as a collective, the results raise obvious questions about how BYU will fare against elite competition in the NCAA tournament.

Kevin Young’s squad has return battles with Arizona and Texas Tech on the schedule and will host Houston and Iowa State this month. The Cougars can pick up a few signature wins that give them a ton of momentum heading into the postseason.

Kansas is a prime example of how quickly a team can improve its image in a conference as loaded as the Big 12. The Jayhawks fell out of the Top 25 entirely in the Jan. 12 poll and have steadily climbed back up to No. 11.

Freshman guard Darryn Peterson continues to be equal parts tantalizing and frustrating.

The Jayhawks star had 18 points on 6’8″ shooting along with three rebounds, one assist and three steals in the victory over BYU. In a head-to-head matchup against AJ Dybantsa with potential NBA draft implications, he was the stronger performer.

Peterson played just 20 minutes, though, as cramping issues limited him in the second half.

Kansas is more than a one-man team. Its other four starters scored in double figures, with freshman forward Bryson Tiller (21 points and seven rebounds) in particularly stepping up in a big way.

But it’s less than ideal when a talent as bright as Peterson is liable to sit for long stretches, including in crucial moments.

Like Kansas, Illinois’ outlook has improved quite a bit over the past month.

Midway through December, the Fighting Illini were 8-3 and sliding down the polls. They’ve since reeled off an 11-game winning streak that includes a pair of victories against Top-Five foes.

Against Nebraska, freshman guard Keaton Wagler had another standout performance. He scored a game-high 28 points and finished with five rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Wagler is continuing to fortify his status as a possible lottery pick in the 2026 NBA draft, and the depth coach Brad Underwood has at his disposal could power Illinois to its first Final Four trip since 2005.