The belt vs. the AP poll
77 seasons · 1,185 pollsMichigan is No. 1 in the latest AP poll (April 7, 2026).
66%Of AP polls with a ranked holder
16%Holder was No. 1
36%Holder in the top 5
1,185AP 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Niagara | Dec 3, 1962 – Jan 28, 1963 | 9 |
| Murray State | Nov 29, 1982 – Jan 17, 1983 | 8 |
| Vanderbilt | Dec 21, 1964 – Jan 25, 1965 | 6 |
| Loyola New Orleans | Dec 19, 1966 – Jan 23, 1967 | 6 |
| Texas Pan American | Dec 20, 1971 – Jan 24, 1972 | 6 |
| DePaul | Dec 16, 1963 – Jan 13, 1964 | 5 |
| LSU | Dec 8, 2014 – Jan 5, 2015 | 5 |
| Providence | Feb 4, 1963 – Feb 25, 1963 | 4 |
| Purdue | Dec 10, 1984 – Dec 31, 1984 | 4 |
| Kansas | Nov 21, 1988 – Dec 12, 1988 | 4 |
| Season | Polls | Holder ranked | Holder No. 1 | Best-ranked holder | Final AP No. 1 | No. 1 held it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 13 (76%) | 0 | UConn No. 2 | Cincinnati | No |
| 1998–99 | 16 | 15 (94%) | 0 | Michigan State No. 2 | Duke | No |
| 1997–98 | 16 | 12 (75%) | 4 | Arizona No. 1 | Duke | No |
| 1996–97 | 16 | 15 (94%) | 0 | Kentucky No. 3 | Kansas | No |
| 1995–96 | 16 | 10 (62%) | 0 | Virginia Tech No. 8 | Kentucky | No |
| 1994–95 | 16 | 12 (75%) | 1 | UConn No. 1 | UCLA | No |
| 1993–94 | 16 | 13 (81%) | 2 | 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 | 15 (100%) | 0 | Michigan No. 5 | Oklahoma | No |
| 1988–89 | 16 | 8 (50%) | 0 | Stanford No. 12 | Arizona | No |
| 1987–88 | 15 | 12 (80%) | 3 | Temple No. 1 | Temple | Yes |
| 1986–87 | 14 | 11 (79%) | 0 | DePaul No. 6 | UNLV | No |
| 1985–86 | 15 | 9 (60%) | 1 | Duke No. 1 | Duke | Yes |
| 1984–85 | 15 | 8 (53%) | 0 | Michigan No. 3 | Georgetown | No |
| 1983–84 | 15 | 6 (40%) | 0 | NC State No. 6 | North Carolina | No |
| 1982–83 | 15 | 1 (7%) | 0 | Louisville No. 3 | Houston | No |
| 1981–82 | 14 | 11 (79%) | 0 | Kentucky No. 2 | North Carolina | No |
| 1980–81 | 14 | 3 (21%) | 0 | Kentucky No. 3 | Oregon State | No |
| 1979–80 | 13 | 12 (92%) | 7 | DePaul No. 1 | DePaul | Yes |
| 1978–79 | 15 | 12 (80%) | 0 | Illinois No. 4 | Indiana State | No |
| 1977–78 | 15 | 10 (67%) | 0 | Notre Dame No. 2 | Kentucky | No |
| 1976–77 | 15 | 7 (47%) | 0 | Alabama No. 3 | 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 | 2 (14%) | 0 | Florida State No. 12 | UCLA | No |
| 1970–71 | 14 | 5 (36%) | 0 | Western Kentucky No. 9 | UCLA | No |
| 1969–70 | 13 | 6 (46%) | 2 | UCLA No. 1 | UCLA | Yes |
| 1968–69 | 13 | 5 (38%) | 0 | Notre Dame No. 7 | UCLA | No |
| 1967–68 | 14 | 13 (93%) | 0 | North Carolina No. 3 | Houston | No |
| 1966–67 | 13 | 0 (0%) | 0 | — | UCLA | No |
| 1965–66 | 13 | 9 (69%) | 9 | UCLA No. 1 | Kentucky | No |
| 1964–65 | 13 | 4 (31%) | 0 | Vanderbilt No. 5 | Michigan | No |
| 1963–64 | 13 | 2 (15%) | 0 | DePaul No. 9 | UCLA | No |
| 1962–63 | 14 | 1 (7%) | 0 | Providence No. 10 | Cincinnati | No |
| 1961–62 | 12 | 2 (17%) | 0 | Wichita State No. 8 | 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 | La Salle No. 1 | San Francisco | No |
| 1953–54 | 13 | 8 (62%) | 0 | Notre Dame No. 5 | Kentucky | No |
| 1952–53 | 12 | 6 (50%) | 0 | Western Kentucky No. 10 | Indiana | No |
| 1951–52 | 11 | 9 (82%) | 0 | Iowa No. 4 | Kentucky | No |
| 1950–51 | 10 | 8 (80%) | 0 | Kansas State No. 3 | Kentucky | No |
| 1949–50 | 8 | 2 (25%) | 1 | St. John's No. 1 | Bradley | No |
No seasons match.