Tony PaulThe Detroit News (Detroit, MI)
E-mail: tpaul@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tonypaul1984
About: A Michigan State grad, Tony Paul has worked in sports departments in Hartford, Conn.; Port Huron, Mich.; Roanoke, Va.; and, for the last 12 years, The Detroit News. At The News, he covers a wide range, including baseball, golf, college athletics and the sports-media industry.


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Feb 23, 2026Week 16 Rankings for Tony Paul
1Duke (56)
25-2Actual: 1
Highest: 1 - 56 Voters
Lowest: 2 - 5 Voters
1520
Points
2Michigan
25-2Actual: 3
Highest: 2 - 30 Voters
Lowest: 3 - 31 Voters
1433
Points
3Arizona (5)
25-2Actual: 2
Highest: 1 - 5 Voters
Lowest: 3 - 30 Voters
1439
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
4Gonzaga
27-2Actual: 9
Highest: 4 - 2 Voters
Lowest: 16 - 2 Voters
1039
Points
5Iowa State
23-4Actual: 4
Highest: 4 - 23 Voters
Lowest: 9 - Dave Borges
1272
Points
6Houston
23-4Actual: 5
Highest: 4 - 14 Voters
Lowest: 9 - 3 Voters
1251
Points
7UConn
25-3Actual: 6
Highest: 4 - 15 Voters
Lowest: 11 - Victor Flores
1211
Points
8Virginia
24-3Actual: 11
Highest: 5 - Bob Ballou
Lowest: 21 - Andy Greder
884
Points
9Purdue
22-5Actual: 8
Highest: 5 - 4 Voters
Lowest: 18 - Brice Cherry
1062
Points
10Michigan State
22-5Actual: 13
Highest: 8 - 2 Voters
Lowest: 16 - 2 Voters
856
Points
11Florida
21-6Actual: 7
Highest: 4 - 6 Voters
Lowest: 15 - Brenden Martin
1112
Points
12Nebraska
23-4Actual: 12
Highest: 8 - Brenna Greene
Lowest: 16 - David Jablonski
858
Points
13Kansas
20-7Actual: 14
Highest: 9 - 4 Voters
Lowest: 18 - 2 Voters
774
Points
14Texas Tech
20-7Actual: 16
Highest: 13 - 2 Voters
Lowest: 20 - 4 Voters
592
Points
15St. John's
22-5Actual: 15
Highest: 8 - Seth Davis
Lowest: 18 - 2 Voters
763
Points
16BYU
20-7Actual: 19
Highest: 15 - Eric Crawford
Lowest: NR - 3 Voters
361
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
17Illinois
22-6Actual: 10
Highest: 4 - Seth Davis
Lowest: 17 - 3 Voters
895
Points
18North Carolina
21-6Actual: 18
Highest: 14 - 2 Voters
Lowest: NR - 6 Voters
388
Points
19Alabama
20-7Actual: 17
Highest: 14 - Parth Upadhyaya
Lowest: NR - 2 Voters
402
Points
20Miami (OH)
27-0Actual: 21
Highest: 8 - Brice Cherry
Lowest: NR - 7 Voters
335
Points
21Arkansas
20-7Actual: 20
Highest: 15 - 2 Voters
Lowest: NR - 3 Voters
356
Points
22Tennessee
20-7Actual: 22
Highest: 13 - Seth Davis
Lowest: NR - 2 Voters
288
Points
23Saint Louis
25-2Actual: 23
Highest: 12 - David Jablonski
Lowest: NR - Mark Zeigler
242
Points
24Vanderbilt
21-6Actual: 25
Highest: 15 - Victor Flores
Lowest: NR - 19 Voters
171
Points
25Saint Mary's
25-4Actual: 27
Highest: 21 - Percy Allen
Lowest: NR - 41 Voters
30
Points
Ranked Teams Not on Ballot: 24-Louisville