There is no change at the top of the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll, though the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 closed a bit.
Tennessee holds the throne for another week after a last-second win at Illinois over the weekend. The Volunteers received 22 of 31 first-place votes. Second-ranked Auburn was No. 1 on the nine other ballots, up from five a week ago, to edge a little closer after a dominant win against Ohio State over the weekend.
The SEC continues to dominate the upper echelons of the poll, as No. 4 Kentucky, No. 6 Florida and No. 7 Alabama give the league five of the top seven teams.
Iowa State holds steady at No. 3, and Duke moves up a notch to No. 5. No. 8 Kansas, No. 9 Marquette and No. 10 Oregon round out the top 10 with yet another SEC squad, Texas A&M, lurking at No. 11.
No. 22 Memphis rejoins the rankings. No. 24 Dayton and No. 25 Mississippi State also move in. Clemson, Wisconsin and Baylor fall out.