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Biggest Movers in AP College Basketball Rankings: Preseason to Week 11

T.J. Otzelberger didn't inherit a fixer-upper at Iowa State—he inherited rubble. A 2-22 wreckage that was universally picked to finish dead last in the Big 12 when he arrived in 2021. A handful of years later, he's watching his Cyclones sit at No. 2 in the country with a 16-2 record, having climbed 14 spots from their preseason No. 16 ranking. And it's not just the poll that his side is climbing.

In the preseason, ISU was considered a +4000 long shot to win the National Championship. Fast forward to now, and with March Madness fast approaching, odds on the Cyclones winning the Natty for the first time have been slashed all the way down to +1200. The popular parlay calculator at Thunderpick shows just how big a difference there is between those two prices, with a $10 bet in preseason paying $400 in winnings, as opposed to just $120 now.

But despite their brilliance, they still aren't the favorites, nor are they the number one-ranked team in the AP rankings... yet. They are, however, the team that has moved the most in the rankings this term. But which other schools join them in the list of the biggest risers and fallers so far this year? Let's find out.

Iowa State

Otzelberger's Cyclones were supposed to be good this year. Solid. Respectable. Maybe a Sweet 16 ceiling if things broke right. Instead, they've become terrifying. Their defense ranks second nationally in turnover percentage, while forward Joshua Jefferson has become the orchestrator in chief, averaging 17.4 points per night. If that wasn't enough, point guard Tamin Lipsey leads the nation in steals.

But here's what separates Iowa State from teams having nice seasons: they went into previously No. 1-ranked Purdue and dismantled them 81-58. They followed up that statement-making victory with a 78-60 beatdown of Creighton in the Players Era Championship, proving that their Boilermaker destruction was no fluke.

Recent losses to Kansas (84-63) and Cincinnati (79-70) exposed some vulnerability, but climbing from No. 16 to No. 2 in a conference as brutal as the Big 12 doesn't happen by accident. Otzelberger has the best overall and conference winning percentages in school history, 25 AP Top 25 wins, and five NCAA Tournament victories in just four years. What he's building isn't just about this season—it's about making Iowa State a program that belongs in championship conversations every March.

Arizona

Tommy Lloyd doesn't care about rankings. He's said as much repeatedly, deflecting questions about Arizona's No. 1 status with the kind of coach-speak that's equal parts wise and maddening. "We don't judge ourselves on rankings," he told reporters before facing San Diego State. "We're focused on winning basketball games and as many as possible."

Easy to say when you're 18-0 and averaging 90.6 points per game—the nation's most explosive offense. Arizona started at No. 13 with questions about backcourt depth after entering its second Big 12 season. They've answered those questions emphatically by shooting .520 from the floor, dominating the glass at 46.7 rebounds per game (No. 1 nationally), and maintaining double-digit leads in all but three games.

Freshman Koa Peat (14.7 points, 5.8 rebounds) doesn't play like a freshman, and guard Jaden Bradley (14.1 points, 4.6 assists) runs the offense with veteran composure. The only close call so far this season came in an 89-82 slugfest against Arizona State, a war that coach Lloyd actually welcomed. That's the challenge now: protecting an undefeated season when being hunted from every corner. This 12-spot climb to No. 1 puts Arizona in position for top-seed status. But perfection gets exponentially harder to maintain when March arrives, and the pressure cranks up a notch.

Florida

Defending national champions don't usually start at No. 3 and fall to No. 15. Florida's 14-4 record looks respectable until you realize they're already matching last season's loss total. The Gators returned a loaded frontcourt stacked with the stars that helped them thrillingly beat Kansas State 65-63 in last season's championship game: Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, and Rueben Chinyelu all starting and bringing with them expectations of a potential title repeat.

Instead, the reigning champs have gone 6-4 in non-conference play, losing to Kentucky and Missouri, while exposing perimeter weaknesses that haven't healed. They lead the nation in rebounding at 46.7 boards per game, yet their three-point shooting has cratered to 28.4%, turning them one-dimensional. Haugh produces (17.4 points, 6.7 rebounds), Chinyelu cleans the glass (10.7 rebounds), but interior dominance hasn't translated to consistency.

Wins like the 104-64 season-opener against Florida State and a 91-67 upset of No. 21 Tennessee show the ceiling. Defensive lapses allowing 72.7 points per game show the floor. This 12-spot drop stems from brutal scheduling meeting execution problems, but a 38% SEC title chance keeps their season alive. The question isn't whether Florida can still make the tournament—it's whether they can recapture whatever made them champions when the pressure ratchets up in March.