Loss to ASU causes Arizona basketball to dip out of AP Poll
Jan 27, 2020, 10:46 AM | Updated: 11:45 am
Arizona State guard Remy Martin, left, collides with Arizona guard Nico Mannion, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State defeated Arizona 66-65. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Arizona Wildcats have fallen two spots out of the Associated Press Top 25 Poll after a 66-65 loss to the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday.
Arizona, which fell to 13-6 (3-3 Pac-12) on the season, garnered 55 points in the polling.
The Wildcats led by 22 points in the first half of the rivalry game in Tempe before ASU crept within 13 by halftime. The Sun Devils took the final lead on Alonzo Verge’s go-ahead layup with nine seconds remaining. Remy Martin led ASU with 24 points and four assists, while Rob Edwards (15 points) and Verge (13) also reached double-figures.
For Arizona, freshman big Zeke Nnaji scored 21 to go with 10 rebounds.
Oregon (11) and Colorado (20) are the only Pac-12 teams currently ranked.
Baylor is No. 1 for a second straight week in an AP Top 25 poll that had no major changes at the top, a rare bit of stability in a wildly unpredictable season.
The Bears stayed well ahead of No. 2 Gonzaga in Monday’s poll, part of an unchanged top seven for the first time this season. In fact, the only change in the top 10 came with Villanova moving up a spot to No. 8 to swap positions with No. 9 Duke. That comes in a season that has seen seven different teams reach No. 1 this season, matching a record set during the 1982-83 season.
Baylor (17-1) hopped over Gonzaga last week to reach No. 1 for the second time in program history, then earned 44 of 64 first-place votes to keep a firm hold on the top spot after beating Oklahoma and Florida last week.
The Zags earned 19 first-place votes to remain either No. 1 or No. 2 in the poll since the middle of December, followed by Kansas, San Diego State — the last unbeaten team in Division I — and Florida State.
Louisville, Dayton, Villanova, Duke and Seton Hall rounded out the top 10.
No. 22 LSU, No. 23 Wichita State and No. 24 Penn State were the week’s new additions, re-entering the poll after appearances earlier this season. Texas Tech, Memphis and Arizona fell out of the rankings.
