Arizona slides up to No. 2 in AP Poll after Michigan State’s loss
Nov 20, 2017, 10:58 AM | Updated: 11:56 am
Arizona guard Allonzo Trier (35) drives past Cal State Bakersfield guard Jarkel Joiner during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz. Arizona won 91-59. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The Arizona Wildcats beat yet another over-matched opponent on Thursday, but it was a game between the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils and No. 2 Michigan State Spartans that resulted in Sean Miller’s team moving from third to second in the Associated Press Poll.
The Blue Devils, who beat then-No. 2 Michigan State 88-81 in Chicago, pulled in 54 of 65 first-place votes from a national media panel in the AP Top 25 released Monday. That was an increase of 20 first-place votes over the first regular-season poll released last week.
Arizona was the only other team to receive a No. 1 nod, getting 11 first-place votes and taking the Spartans’ place at No. 2. Kansas moved up to third after topping then-No. 7 Kentucky in the other game at the Champions Classic, while Michigan State and Villanova rounded out the top 5.
On Thursday, Arizona fell short of the 100-point mark for the first time in three games, but it appeared to take a step forward defensively in a 91-59 win over Cal State Bakersfield.
The Wildcats held the Roadrunners to 39 percent shooting and 1-of-16 from the three-point line on Thursday, when Allonzo Trier scored 28 points, dropping his season average to 30 points per game.
Next up for Arizona is a Wednesday matchup against North Carolina State (4-0) in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
