ASU basketball creeps to third in AP Poll; Arizona jumps to 18
Dec 18, 2017, 10:20 AM | Updated: 11:32 am
Arizona State guard Remy Martin (1) reacts after defeating Vanderbilt 76-64 during an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Dec 17, 2017, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona State’s win over Vanderbilt on Sunday moved the Sun Devils to 10-0 on the season and played a part in their move to No. 3 in the Associated Press Poll released Monday.
Previously ranked No. 5, ASU joins No. 1 Villanova, No. 6 Miami and No. 15 TCU as the only remaining undefeated teams in the country.
A loss by previously-ranked No. 3 Wichita State to Oklahoma allowed the Sun Devils to make a move up the college basketball rankings, but ASU also jumped the static Duke Blue Devils, who did not play over the past week and last suffered a loss to Boston College on Dec. 9.
Villanova and Arizona State sandwich No. 2 Michigan State.
Villanova was No. 1 for the second straight week, receiving 45 of 65 first-place votes from a media panel. Michigan State stayed at No. 2 and received 15 first-place votes, with Arizona State getting the final five first-place votes to match its highest ranking in program history.
No. 5 North Carolina, Miami, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Xavier and West Virginia rounded out the top 10.
The last time ASU was ranked in the top-3 was in 1981. The only other time the program has been ranked in the top-3 was in 1963.
Meanwhile, the Arizona Wildcats leapt from 23rd to 18th in the poll after a win at New Mexico on Saturday. They have won five straight since a three-game losing streak in the Bahamas.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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