College basketball rankings: Michigan comes in as new No. 1 in Coaches Poll top 25

There's a lot of movement in the latest college basketball Coaches Poll

By Will Backus

Dec 8, 2025 at 12:47 pm ET • 1 min read

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There is a new No. 1 in the Coaches Poll. Michigan, which continues to stack quality wins amid its 8-0 start to the season, ascended to the top spot in the latest set of rankings. The Wolverines made the move due in large part to previous No. 1 Purdue's loss to Iowa State.

The Boilermakers didn't drop too far to No. 6, while the still undefeated Cyclones made their debut in the top five at No. 4 following their momentous victory.

Michigan's latest triumph was a 41-point victory against Rutgers to open Big Ten Conference play. That marked the Wolverines' fifth straight win of at least 25 points. Michigan is outscoring its opponents by an average of 35.2 points since Nov. 19. Two ranked wins against No. 24 Auburn and No. 7 Gonzaga are included in that streak.

While it looks like a strong year for the Big Ten, which placed three teams in the top 10, the SEC appears headed in the opposite direction. Kentucky, one of the league's preseason favorites, dropped out of the rankings entirely as it continues to struggle against high-level competition.

The Wildcats dropped to 5-4 with their 94-59 loss Dec. 5 to Gonzaga. All five of their wins came against non-power conference foes. Tennessee also plummeted from No. 13 to No. 20 as it contends with a three-game losing streak.

Here is the full Dec. 8 Coaches Poll after the fifth week of the 2025-26 college basketball season.

First-place votes in parenthesis