There is no change at No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll this week, though there is some shuffling in the top five.
Auburn retains the top spot, but it is not unanimous this time. The Tigers were picked first on 28 of 30 ballots submitted, with the remaining two first-place nods going to Duke following the Blue Devils’ impressive week. They move up to No. 2 overall, nudging ahead of Florida by 15 poll points. Houston moves up a notch to No. 4, and Tennessee is back in the top five as Alabama slips to No. 6.
St. John’s climbs two positions to a season-best No. 7, and Michigan State vaults five places to No. 8 after seizing control of the Big Ten race. Iowa State and Texas Tech round out the top 10 as Texas A&M falls four spots to No. 11.
No. 14 Clemson and No. 15 Maryland continue their upward trajectory, while No. 19 Purdue and No. 22 Marquette take big falls in the other direction. Creighton returns to the poll at No. 25, as preseason No. 1 Kansas falls out.
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