Wildcats make small move up AP rankings after beating ASU
Jan 6, 2020, 10:34 AM | Updated: 10:39 am
Arizona State forward Andre Allen (22) dunks in front of Arizona State's Taeshon Cherry and Alonzo Verge Jr. (11) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, in Tucson, Ariz. Arizona won 75-47. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
A resounding win over rival Arizona State ended a losing streak at two games and kept the Arizona Wildcats included in the first Associated Press Top 25 Poll released this decade.
Arizona rose from 25th to 24th following a 75-47 win over ASU on Saturday. Forward Zeke Nnaji led the Wildcats with 17 points and 11 rebounds as UA held the Sun Devils to 31% shooting at McKale Center.
The victory moved Arizona’s record to 11-3 on the year, and it followed a two-game skid against current No. 1 Gonzaga and a defeat at the hands of St. John’s.
Next for the Wildcats is a visit to Oregon on Thursday. The Ducks fell from fourth to ninth after splitting a road trip to Colorado and Utah.
Gonzaga, Duke and Kansas remain atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.
The rest of the top 10 is a big jumble.
The Bulldogs received 54 first-place votes from a 65-member media panel in the poll released Monday. The Blue Devils had nine first-place votes and the Jayhawks two.
No. 4 Baylor moved into the top five for the first time in three years and undefeated Auburn was up to No. 5.
Butler climbed five spots to No. 6 for the program’s highest ranking ever and was followed by San Diego State, Michigan State, Oregon and No. 10 Florida State.
Gonzaga is No. 1 for the third straight week, a first in a season of parity at the top of the AP poll.
AP Top 25 Poll
1. Gonzaga (54) 16-1
2. Duke (9) 13-1
3. Kansas (2) 11-2
4. Baylor 11-1
5. Auburn 13-0
6. Butler 14-1
7. San Diego St.15-0
8. Michigan St. 12-3
9. Oregon 12-3
10. Florida St. 13-2
11. Ohio St. 11-3
12. Maryland 12-2
13. Louisville 11-3
14. Kentucky 10-3
15. Dayton 13-2
16. Villanova 10-3
17. West Virginia 11-2
18. Virginia 11-2
19. Michigan 10-4
20. Penn St. 12-2
21. Memphis 12-2
22. Texas Tech 10-3
23. Wichita St. 13-1
24. Arizona 11-3
25. Colorado 12-3
Others receiving votes: Iowa 63, Seton Hall 48, Arkansas 38, Marquette 25, Xavier 18, Wisconsin 17, Houston 8, Creighton 6, Washington 6, VCU 5, Saint Mary’s (Cal) 3, Liberty 2, N. Iowa 2, BYU 1, Purdue 1, Stephen F. Austin 1.
The Associated Press contributed to this story
