ASU basketball leaps to No. 5 in AP Poll after upset of Kansas

Two weeks after appearing in the Associated Press Poll for the first time since 2009, Arizona State suddenly finds itself No. 5 in the nation.

The Sun Devils made the leap from No. 16 in last week’s AP rankings after beating St. John’s, 82-70, in Los Angeles and dropping No. 2 Kansas, 95-85, in Lawrence, Kan.

Arizona State received five first-place votes and ranks behind new No. 1 Villanova (41 first-place votes), No. 2 Michigan State (19), No. 3 Wichita State (0) and No. 4 Duke (0).

It’s ASU’s first top-10 ranking since 1981.

Arizona State’s resume and 9-0 start to the season now includes wins over four KenPom top-50 teams: Kansas (7), Xavier (11), Kansas State (43) and St. John’s (49). Those victories alone gave ASU a case to be ranked the No. 1 team in the nation after top-ranked Duke fell to Boston College over the weekend.

ESPN’s college basketball power rankings did just that, moving the Sun Devils all the way to the top of the board after their successful week.

Coach Bobby Hurley’s team got a 22-point performance out of redshirt freshman Romello White on Friday against St. John’s, while Tra Holder scored 29 points and added a team-high seven assists Sunday in Lawrence, Kan.

ASU should only be adding depth as the season progresses.

On Sunday, former four-star prospect and Ohio State transfer Mickey Mitchell debuted, playing six minutes. The team hopes freshman Kimani Lawrence will return from a foot injury sometime around conference play.

The Sun Devils open Pac-12 action at Arizona on Dec. 30 with games against Vanderbilt, Longwood and Pacific remaining on the nonconference schedule.

The Wildcats (7-3) returned to the AP Poll and come in 23rd.

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