The belt vs. the AP poll
78 seasons · 1,187 pollsUConn is No. 4 in the latest AP poll (November 9, 2026); No. 1 was Florida.
68%Of AP polls with a ranked holder
23%Holder was No. 1
44%Holder in the top 5
1,187AP polls since 1949–50
The poll is voters' opinion; the belt is who actually beat whom. Here's how often they agree: first the longest stretches an unranked team held the belt, then every season.
Poll dates for 2002–03 through 2015–16 are estimated from week numbers (the source data has no dates for those seasons), so a holder can be off by a week around a title change.
Unranked, but holding the belt
The longest runs of AP polls in which the belt holder wasn't ranked at all.
| Holder | Stretch | Polls |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | Dec 29, 1969 – Feb 9, 1970 | 7 |
| Army | Jan 8, 1968 – Feb 12, 1968 | 6 |
| LSU | Dec 8, 2014 – Jan 5, 2015 | 5 |
| Colorado | Jan 19, 1953 – Feb 9, 1953 | 4 |
| Utah State | Jan 6, 1964 – Jan 27, 1964 | 4 |
| Virginia Tech | Dec 5, 1983 – Dec 26, 1983 | 4 |
| Saint Louis | Feb 17, 2003 – Mar 10, 2003 | 4 |
| Alabama | Dec 8, 2003 – Dec 29, 2003 | 4 |
| Miami | Dec 13, 2004 – Jan 3, 2005 | 4 |
| St. John's | Feb 22, 1954 – Mar 8, 1954 | 3 |
| Season | Polls | Holder ranked | Holder No. 1 | Best-ranked holder | Final AP No. 1 | No. 1 held it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026–27 | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 | UConn No. 4 | Florida | No |
| 2025–26 | 20 | 19 (95%) | 9 | Arizona No. 1 | Michigan | Yes |
| 2024–25 | 20 | 19 (95%) | 1 | Florida No. 1 | Florida | Yes |
| 2023–24 | 21 | 20 (95%) | 4 | Houston No. 1 | UConn | Yes |
| 2022–23 | 19 | 14 (74%) | 0 | UCLA No. 2 | Alabama | No |
| 2021–22 | 19 | 18 (95%) | 5 | Baylor No. 1 | Gonzaga | No |
| 2020–21 | 17 | 4 (24%) | 0 | Creighton No. 7 | Gonzaga | No |
| 2019–20 | 20 | 8 (40%) | 0 | Virginia No. 5 | Kansas | No |
| 2018–19 | 20 | 19 (95%) | 0 | Michigan No. 2 | Duke | No |
| 2017–18 | 18 | 16 (89%) | 1 | Michigan State No. 1 | Virginia | No |
| 2016–17 | 18 | 15 (83%) | 5 | Villanova No. 1 | Kansas | No |
| 2015–16 | 18 | 13 (72%) | 1 | Kentucky No. 1 | Kansas | No |
| 2014–15 | 18 | 7 (39%) | 3 | Kentucky No. 1 | Kentucky | Yes |
| 2013–14 | 19 | 10 (53%) | 0 | Louisville No. 3 | Florida | No |
| 2012–13 | 19 | 13 (68%) | 3 | Duke No. 1 | Gonzaga | No |
| 2011–12 | 18 | 8 (44%) | 0 | UConn No. 4 | Kentucky | No |
| 2010–11 | 17 | 11 (65%) | 8 | Duke No. 1 | Ohio State | No |
| 2009–10 | 18 | 12 (67%) | 0 | Syracuse No. 3 | Kansas | No |
| 2008–09 | 18 | 6 (33%) | 0 | Syracuse No. 16 | North Carolina | No |
| 2007–08 | 19 | 7 (37%) | 0 | Butler No. 14 | North Carolina | No |
| 2006–07 | 17 | 2 (12%) | 1 | Florida No. 1 | Ohio State | No |
| 2005–06 | 17 | 11 (65%) | 0 | Illinois No. 6 | Duke | No |
| 2004–05 | 17 | 9 (53%) | 0 | North Carolina No. 2 | Illinois | No |
| 2003–04 | 17 | 5 (29%) | 0 | Saint Joseph's No. 2 | Saint Joseph's | Yes |
| 2002–03 | 18 | 13 (72%) | 0 | Louisville No. 5 | Arizona | No |
| 2001–02 | 16 | 15 (94%) | 12 | Duke No. 1 | Kansas | No |
| 2000–01 | 17 | 13 (76%) | 2 | Michigan State No. 1 | Stanford | No |
| 1999–00 | 17 | 16 (94%) | 3 | Stanford No. 1 | Cincinnati | No |
| 1998–99 | 16 | 16 (100%) | 4 | Duke No. 1 | Duke | Yes |
| 1997–98 | 16 | 12 (75%) | 4 | Arizona No. 1 | Duke | Yes |
| 1996–97 | 16 | 6 (38%) | 0 | Clemson No. 10 | Kansas | No |
| 1995–96 | 16 | 12 (75%) | 0 | Villanova No. 2 | Kentucky | No |
| 1994–95 | 16 | 13 (81%) | 2 | Arkansas No. 1 | UCLA | No |
| 1993–94 | 16 | 13 (81%) | 1 | North Carolina No. 1 | Arkansas | No |
| 1992–93 | 16 | 16 (100%) | 6 | Duke No. 1 | North Carolina | Yes |
| 1991–92 | 16 | 14 (88%) | 12 | Duke No. 1 | Duke | Yes |
| 1990–91 | 15 | 15 (100%) | 15 | UNLV No. 1 | UNLV | Yes |
| 1989–90 | 15 | 7 (47%) | 0 | Arizona No. 2 | Oklahoma | No |
| 1988–89 | 16 | 12 (75%) | 0 | Georgetown No. 2 | Arizona | No |
| 1987–88 | 15 | 8 (53%) | 3 | Kentucky No. 1 | Temple | No |
| 1986–87 | 14 | 13 (93%) | 1 | Iowa No. 1 | UNLV | No |
| 1985–86 | 15 | 9 (60%) | 1 | Duke No. 1 | Duke | Yes |
| 1984–85 | 15 | 15 (100%) | 15 | Georgetown No. 1 | Georgetown | Yes |
| 1983–84 | 15 | 1 (7%) | 0 | NC State No. 7 | North Carolina | No |
| 1982–83 | 15 | 12 (80%) | 0 | St. John's No. 3 | Houston | No |
| 1981–82 | 14 | 7 (50%) | 0 | Wichita State No. 3 | North Carolina | No |
| 1980–81 | 14 | 6 (43%) | 6 | DePaul No. 1 | Oregon State | No |
| 1979–80 | 13 | 12 (92%) | 7 | DePaul No. 1 | DePaul | Yes |
| 1978–79 | 15 | 12 (80%) | 2 | Michigan State No. 1 | Indiana State | No |
| 1977–78 | 15 | 2 (13%) | 0 | Utah No. 15 | Kentucky | No |
| 1976–77 | 15 | 8 (53%) | 0 | UCLA No. 2 | Michigan | No |
| 1975–76 | 15 | 15 (100%) | 15 | Indiana No. 1 | Indiana | Yes |
| 1974–75 | 17 | 16 (94%) | 5 | NC State No. 1 | UCLA | No |
| 1973–74 | 16 | 16 (100%) | 11 | UCLA No. 1 | NC State | No |
| 1972–73 | 14 | 14 (100%) | 14 | UCLA No. 1 | UCLA | Yes |
| 1971–72 | 14 | 14 (100%) | 14 | UCLA No. 1 | UCLA | Yes |
| 1970–71 | 14 | 13 (93%) | 5 | UCLA No. 1 | UCLA | Yes |
| 1969–70 | 13 | 2 (15%) | 0 | USC No. 6 | UCLA | No |
| 1968–69 | 13 | 13 (100%) | 13 | UCLA No. 1 | UCLA | Yes |
| 1967–68 | 14 | 2 (14%) | 0 | Kentucky No. 4 | Houston | No |
| 1966–67 | 13 | 8 (62%) | 0 | UTEP No. 2 | UCLA | No |
| 1965–66 | 13 | 9 (69%) | 9 | UCLA No. 1 | Kentucky | No |
| 1964–65 | 13 | 10 (77%) | 5 | Michigan No. 1 | Michigan | Yes |
| 1963–64 | 13 | 3 (23%) | 0 | Cincinnati No. 4 | UCLA | No |
| 1962–63 | 14 | 12 (86%) | 11 | Cincinnati No. 1 | Cincinnati | Yes |
| 1961–62 | 12 | 11 (92%) | 0 | Cincinnati No. 2 | Ohio State | No |
| 1960–61 | 11 | 11 (100%) | 11 | Ohio State No. 1 | Ohio State | Yes |
| 1959–60 | 10 | 10 (100%) | 0 | California No. 2 | Cincinnati | No |
| 1958–59 | 12 | 12 (100%) | 2 | Kentucky No. 1 | Kentucky | Yes |
| 1957–58 | 12 | 8 (67%) | 0 | Kentucky No. 9 | Kansas State | No |
| 1956–57 | 12 | 8 (67%) | 0 | Kentucky No. 3 | North Carolina | No |
| 1955–56 | 13 | 13 (100%) | 13 | San Francisco No. 1 | San Francisco | Yes |
| 1954–55 | 12 | 6 (50%) | 3 | Kentucky No. 1 | San Francisco | No |
| 1953–54 | 13 | 6 (46%) | 1 | Indiana No. 1 | Kentucky | No |
| 1952–53 | 12 | 6 (50%) | 0 | Oklahoma State No. 5 | Indiana | No |
| 1951–52 | 11 | 2 (18%) | 0 | Indiana No. 5 | Kentucky | No |
| 1950–51 | 10 | 2 (20%) | 0 | Villanova No. 7 | Kentucky | No |
| 1949–50 | 8 | 5 (62%) | 0 | City College of New York No. 7 | Bradley | No |
No seasons match.