Arizona dubbed unanimous No. 1 in latest AP college basketball poll
Arizona is the unanimous No. 1 in college basketball after missing out on the honor by a single vote in the previous AP Top 25 poll.
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Arizona is the unanimous No. 1 in college basketball, earning all 61 first-place votes on Monday after missing out on the honor by a single vote in the previous AP Top 25 poll.
The Wildcats (18-0, 5-0 in Big 12) picked up seven-point wins over rival Arizona State and UCF this week to continue their dominance as the top team in the nation.
They also stuck with Big Ten’s Nebraska (18-0) and MAC’s Miami (OH) (19-0) as the final undefeated programs this season. Nebraska climbed one spot to No. 7 and Miami (OH) entered the rankings (No. 25) for the first time since a three-week stint in the 1998-99 season.
Arizona has been ranked No. 1 for six straight weeks, its longest run since eight straight in 2013-14 when the Wildcats opened 21-0. UConn, Michigan, Purdue and Duke rounded out the top five.
North Carolina had the week’s biggest drop, losing eight places to No. 22 after being swept by the ACC’s Bay Area schools.
Jaden Bradley and a trio of uber-talented freshmen return to McKale Center to face Cincinnati (10-8, 2-3) on Wednesday and West Virginia on Saturday (12-6, 3-2). Arizona has its first of two showdowns with No. 13 BYU in Provo two days after a meeting with the Mountaineers.
The Wildcats through 18 games are third nationally in rebounding margin (+13.6), fifth in scoring margin (+21.3 per game), sixth in field goal percentage (52%), ninth in fast break points (18.2), 11th in scoring (90.6 points) and T-13 in assists (18.7).
The Iowa State Cyclones, who received one first-place vote last week, dropped seven spots to No. 9 after their undefeated season ended with losses to two unranked teams in Kansas and Cincinnati.
Kansas returned to the poll at No. 19 after being left out last week, handing Iowa State its first loss and beating Baylor by 18.
Texas Tech moved up three places to No. 12 following wins over Utah and then-No. 11 BYU.
The Big 12 had a country-best six teams in the latest AP poll: Arizona (No. 1), Houston (No. 6), Iowa State (No. 9), Texas Tech (No. 12), BYU (No. 13) and Kansas (No. 19).
Arizona strengthens grip as top team in AP Top 25 poll
| Record | Pts | Prv | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Arizona (61) | 18-0 | 1525 | – |
| 2. UConn | 18-1 | 1419 | 3 |
| 3. Michigan | 16-1 | 1377 | 4 |
| 4. Purdue | 17-1 | 1318 | 5 |
| 5. Duke | 17-1 | 1296 | 6 |
| 6. Houston | 17-1 | 1217 | 7 |
| 7. Nebraska | 18-0 | 1207 | 8 |
| 8. Gonzaga | 19-1 | 1103 | 9 |
| 9. Iowa State | 16-2 | 1001 | 2 |
| 10. Michigan State | 16-2 | 998 | 12 |
| 11. Illinois | 15-3 | 893 | 13 |
| 12. Texas Tech | 14-4 | 805 | 15 |
| 13. BYU | 16-2 | 791 | 11 |
| 14. Virginia | 16-2 | 713 | 16 |
| 15. Vanderbilt | 16-2 | 656 | 10 |
| 16. Florida | 13-5 | 651 | 19 |
| 17. Alabama | 13-5 | 571 | 18 |
| 18. Clemson | 16-3 | 449 | 22 |
| 19. Kansas | 13-5 | 305 | NR |
| 20. Arkansas | 13-5 | 298 | 17 |
| 21. Georgia | 15-3 | 263 | – |
| 22. North Carolina | 14-4 | 220 | 14 |
| 23. Louisville | 13-5 | 195 | 20 |
| 24. Saint Louis | 17-1 | 187 | NR |
| 25. Miami (OH) | 19-0 | 99 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 64, St. John’s 64, Iowa 30, Kentucky 27, Tennessee 20, Utah St. 15, UCF 14, Miami 10, George Mason 10, Saint Mary’s 5, SMU 3, Villanova 3, Texas A&M 2, NC State 1.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Comments
3 Comments
UofPay... you are really running that back D C? LOL... exactly like Scott mentioned. Living "rent" free in that head of yours! It's hilarious!!
Wildcats living rent free in your head is hilarious . . . Shouldn't be somewhere on this site with ALL CAPS or bold telling us how Same Leavitt is coming back to Tempe-? Go back to worrying about the Devils, as your obsession with the U of A is borderline creepy, but definitely laughable.
The UofPay MBBall team is excellent this year. Tommy Lloyd is the best coach the UofPay has ever had, including Lute Olson. While the UofPay has absolutely had more talented rosters, Tommy Lloyd is just so good he's been able to make all the right moves. Their challenge will be all the depth in Men's Basketball this year, combined with the Committee's fondness for setting up some teams to be ambushed.