Top 5 teams in AP Top 25 Men's Basketball Poll after Week 16 ft. Auburn as No. 1

The Auburn Tigers won an in-state showdown with Alabama and remain on top of the AP Top 25 for another week. The top five did have some movement, as Houston and Tennessee flipped spots, leaving the Cougars inside the top five and the Vols just outside. A new SEC squad leapfrogged Alabama into second.

Here's the rundown on the AP poll's top five.

Top 5 AP men's hoops Top 25 poll

Coach Todd Golden's Florida Gators have climbed to No. 2 in the AP poll. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

#5. Houston

The Cougars, at 21-4, have earned their way into the top five. Houston is 13-1 in the Big 12 and has lost only one game since the end of November. Auburn and Alabama are among the four teams to defeat the Cougars.

Houston remains an absolute defensive menace. It is allowing an NCAA-best 57.3 points per game and has held opponents to 38.1% shooting. Veteran guard LJ Cryer is one of the sport's underrated stars.

#4. Alabama

The Tide slid down from the No. 2 spot after a 94-85 home loss to Auburn. That was just the second defeat since the end of November for the 21-4 Alabama squad. Alabama remains in the battle for an NCAA Tournament top seed.

The Crimson Tide are the nation's top offensive team, scoring 90.3 points per game. They also lead the nation in rebounding at 44.4 boards per contest, a margin of almost eight boards better than their opponents. Super senior guard Mark Sears will pass 2,600 career points in their next game.

#3. Duke

The 23-3 Blue Devils have lost only a single game since the end of November. That 77-71 defeat to Clemson is the only blemish on their 15-1 ACC record. While high-scoring freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel draw headlines, defense is the story.

Duke is holding opponents to 60.8 points per game and 38.4% shooting, both in the top 10 nationally. Meanwhile, Flagg continues to be the standout, with his 19.7 points per game scoring form being on display nightly.

#2. Florida

The Gators jumped into the second spot. Since a brutal 64-44 loss to Tennessee, the 22-3 Gators have won their last four games. All three Florida losses came to ranked teams, with the other two being to Missouri and Kentucky.

The Gators are efficient rebounders, coming in third in the NCAA with 42.3 rebounds per game, a margin of 8.4 boards over their opposition. Guard trio Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard average just over 45 points per game combined.

#1. Auburn

Bruce Pearl's 23-2 squad took down Alabama 94-85 and remains on top of the AP poll. Auburn's only losses on the year came to No. 2 Florida and No. 3 Duke. In scoring 85.1 points per game, Auburn is fifth nationally in scoring.

Big man Johni Broome has been key to Auburn's success, with 18.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. The Tigers also shoot 37.3% from 3-point range, so they're always a challenging matchup.

What do you think of the AP poll's top five squads? Share any changes you'd make in the ranking below in our comments section!