Arizona State drops out of AP top-25, UA falls in rankings
Feb 5, 2018, 10:06 AM | Updated: 10:08 am
A road split against the Washington schools led to Arizona State falling out of the Associated Press top-25 after a 10-week run as a ranked team, while rival Arizona’s own 1-1 weekend led to the Wildcats dropping in the poll.
Arizona fell four spots to No. 13, and ASU slipped from No. 25.
The Sun Devils (17-6, 5-6 Pac-12) entered the week ranked No. 25 and split their fifth week in a row — like every other week in Pac-12 play, they began with a loss. ASU fell to Washington, 68-64, on Thursday before recovering Sunday to beat Washington State, 88-78.
ASU entered the AP Poll back on Nov. 27, the same week Arizona fell from No. 2 to completely out of the top-25.
Entering a road series at the Washington schools, Arizona (19-5, 9-2 Pac-12) was ranked ninth in the nation.
The Wildcats won Wednesday at WSU, 100-72, but lost to Washington on a buzzer-beating three-point shot.
Both Arizona and Arizona State enter a crucial week.
The Wildcats remain in sole possession of first place in the Pac-12, and host the USC Trojans on Thursday before facing the UCLA Bruins on Saturday. The Sun Devils play UCLA Thursday and USC on Saturday.
USC is currently in second place in the Pac-12 and a game behind Arizona with an 8-3 conference record. UCLA is two games back of the Wildcats with a 7-4 Pac-12 mark.