Final AP top 25 rankings release leading up to 2021 NCAA Tournament

The AP has just released its final top 25 rankings of the college basketball season prior to the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

The Southeastern Conference is well represented at the top of the final regular-season poll as both Alabama and Arkansas are in the top 10.

However, it doesn’t look like the voters paid too much attention to the SEC Tournament as Tennessee and LSU did not rank in the top 25 despite strong showings in Nashville.

Both teams are found in the “others receiving votes” category.

Here is the final top 25 college basketball rankings released by the AP heading into the tournament:

#1 Gonzaga

#2 Illinois

#3 Baylor

#4 Michigan

#5 Alabama

#6 Houston

#7 Ohio State

#8 Iowa

#9 Texas

#10 Arkansas

#11 Oklahoma State

#12 Kansas

#13 West Virginia

#14 Florida State

#15 Virginia

#16 San Diego State

#17 Loyola Chicago

#18 Villanova

#19 Creighton

#20 Purdue

#21 Texas Tech

#22 Colorado

#23 BYU

#24 USC

#25 Virginia Tech

Michael Wayne Bratton

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com