UCLA climbed into the top 10 in the first regular-season AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll of the season on Monday while Florida remained No. 1 and the top four were unchanged.
The Gators, who began the season with wins over then-No. 14 Miami and Jacksonville, earned six more first place-votes and had 53 of the 60 from a national media panel. Duke earned the other seven first-place votes, Illinois held down No. 3 in the poll, and UConn was fourth after winning an NCAA championship game rematch with then-No. 16 Michigan on Friday night.
Next up for the Gators is a rivalry game against Florida State.
“I talked to the guys about Tuesday night. We're going into enemy territory as the No. 1 team in America,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “We're going to get their best shot, and they're going to be well-prepared, and we have to bring our best effort.”
Michigan State rounded out the top five Monday, taking the place of Arizona, which lost its opener to the Bruins a week ago.
The former Pac-12 rivals met in Las Vegas, where the Bruins' Trent Perry scored 21 points to help them overcome a career-best 38 from the Wildcats' Ivan Kharchenkov. Arizona got within a point with 3:11 left before the Bruins held on for the 84-75 win.
It sent UCLA from No. 22 in the preseason poll to No. 9, its highest ranking since the final poll of the 2022-23 season.
“Huge,” Bruins coach Mick Cronin said of the win. “They’re going to win a lot of games, man. I don’t know exactly how many (wins) they’ve averaged over the last three years, but I’d guess it’s close to 30. So when you get a win over a team like that, it’s massive.”
Virginia moved up three spots to sixth after a trio of wins last week, including a victory over then-No. 12 Arkansas. Texas and Houston were next, then UCLA and Louisville, which moved up one spot to round out the top 10.
Tennessee fell three spots to No. 11 after beating Wofford in its only game last week. Arizona dropped seven spots to No. 12.
“It’s not about how we start the season. It's about how we end the season," Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd said. "Obviously, it hurts when we’re losing. Just remember that feeling. We’ll have a tough stretch in another game, and we’ll need to dig deeper.”
St. John's, Gonzaga and Kansas rounded out the first 15 in the poll. Texas Tech, Miami and Alabama were next, while Arkansas dropped seven spots to No. 18 after its loss to Virginia, and Michigan fell four spots to No. 20 after its loss to UConn.
USC, Vanderbilt, BYU, Kentucky and Nebraska finished out the Top 25. The Wildcats, who play the Jayhawks on Tuesday night, are one week shy of becoming the first school in the nearly 78-year history of the AP poll to be ranked for 1,000 weeks.
The Huskers, who opened their season with wins over Le Moyne and Providence, jumped into the poll thanks in part to Iowa State's loss to Memphis. The Cyclones fell from No. 18 out of the poll, and were third among the others receiving votes.
Memphis was the first team outside of the Top 25, followed by Saint Louis, which had an impressive win over Missouri last week.
The Southeastern Conference not only had the No. 1 team in Florida but seven of the Top 25. The Big Ten was next with three of the top 10 and six in the poll. The Big 12 had five ranked teams, the ACC had four, the Big East had two and Gonzaga gave the new-look Pac-12 one team in the Top 25.
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Florida forward Thomas Haugh (10) drives against Miami forward Shelton Henderson (7) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
UCLA forward Eric Dailey Jr. (3) celebrates after dunking against Arizona guard Caleb Holt (3) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — At least 22 people died while attempting to reach Greece from North Africa over the past three days, with 13 bodies recovered from a boat south of Crete on Monday and eight found in another boat over the weekend.
More than 180 other people were rescued Monday morning from three other boats crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa to Crete after they were spotted by the European Union’s border agency Frontex. They were the latest in a steady number of boats traveling from Libya to Greece, a crossing that has become one of the main migration routes to Europe.
“Rising arrivals along the eastern Libya–Crete route this year, coupled with gaps in search and rescue capacity, are heightening humanitarian concerns over the risks faced by people making the journey,” said the United Nations' International Organization for Migration, or IOM.
In Monday's incident, the coast guard said a passing Moroccan-flagged cargo ship picked up 18 people from the boat on which 13 bodies — those of 12 men and one woman — were found. One of those rescued was later confirmed dead at a health center in Crete, while another three — a man, a woman and a minor — were transported to a hospital on the island.
There was no immediate information available on the identities or nationalities of those on board or what had caused the deaths of the 14 people. The boat was found about 15 nautical miles (about 28 kilometers or 18 miles) south of the southern Greek island of Crete early Monday.
In a separate incident, the coast guard said 28 Sudanese nationals were rescued overnight Saturday after their boat ran into trouble in bad weather about 6 nautical miles (11 kilometers or 7 miles) south of Crete. Eight bodies were recovered and two people were reported missing.
Greece is one of the main entry points into the 27-nation EU for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In recent months, thousands have been making the perilous sea crossing from North Africa, usually from Libya to Crete. Others make the far shorter but often equally dangerous crossing from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, often in unseaworthy inflatable dinghies or other small boats.
Last month, 12 people, including an infant, died when the two boats they were traveling in from Turkey to the islands of Lesbos and Samos capsized.
Frontex said in October that the eastern Mediterranean was the busiest route for migrants attempting to enter the EU, although irregular border crossings into the bloc were down by a third so far this year.
The agency said that around 31, 800 crossings were recorded in the first three quarters of 2026, a fall of 15% compared with the same period last year. The corridor from Libya to Crete was the busiest section on the route, ahead of the eastern Aegean islands and the land border with Turkey.
Migrants stand on the deck of a Frontex vessel as it approaches the port of Kaloi Limenes on the Greek island of Crete, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, following a rescue operation. (Stefanos Rapanis/Eurokinissi via AP)
Migrants gather on a pier after being brought ashore following a rescue operation off the Greek island of Crete, at the port of Kaloi Limenes, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (Stefanos Rapanis/Eurokinissi via AP)
Migrants gather on a pier after being brought ashore following a rescue operation off the Greek island of Crete, at the port of Kaloi Limenes, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (Stefanos Rapanis/Eurokinissi via AP)
Rescue workers carry the bodies of migrants from a Coast Guard vessel at the port of Agia Galini, on the Greek island of Crete, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, after 12 people were found dead aboard a boat south of the island and 18 others were rescued. (Stefanos Rapanis/Eurokinissi via AP)
Rescue workers carry the bodies of migrants from a Coast Guard vessel at the port of Agia Galini, on the Greek island of Crete, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, after 12 people were found dead aboard a boat south of the island and 18 others were rescued. (Stefanos Rapanis/Eurokinissi via AP)
Rescue workers carry the bodies of migrants from a Coast Guard vessel at the port of Agia Galini, on the Greek island of Crete, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, after 12 people were found dead aboard a boat south of the island and 18 others were rescued. (Stefanos Rapanis/Eurokinissi via AP)
FILE - Migrants who arrived recently at the island of Crete, despite a suspension of asylum claims and plans for tougher detention rules, are being held under guard at a temporary shelter in the village of Agia, near Chania city, on the island of Crete, southern Greece, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Giannis Angelakis File)
