ARIZONA BASKETBALL

Arizona moves up to No. 12 in final AP Poll before NCAA Tournament

Mar 12, 2018, 11:49 AM

(AP Photo/Isaac Brekken...

(AP Photo/Isaac Brekken

After winning the Pac-12 Tournament and being named the fourth seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Arizona Wildcats jumped to No. 12 in the AP Poll’s college basketball rankings on Monday.

It’s the end of a steady climb over the last two weeks, in which they shot up from No. 19 to No. 15 before settling in at No. 12.

Arizona (27-7, 14-4 Pac-12) will play Buffalo on Thursday.

The Wildcats’ three-spot jump in the AP Poll is the third-largest of the week, behind only Kansas, which climbed five spots to No. 4, and Kentucky, which went from unranked to No. 18. West Virginia also climbed three spots.

Virginia continued its reign as the No. 1 team. After starting the season unranked, it finished as the unanimous best team in the country.

They’re a potential Sweet 16 matchup with Arizona. However, the Wildcats may also need to beat Kentucky in Round 2, barring upset.

Villanova and Xavier round out the top three.

Arizona State, which defeated both Kansas and Xavier during pre-conference play, went into a free fall once the Pac-12 schedule started. After rising as high as No. 3, the Sun Devils are unranked in the final AP Poll of the season.

If they manage to beat Syracuse on Wednesday and then upset TCU, ASU could face Michigan State in Round 2. The Spartans finished as the No. 5 team in AP’s final poll.

Arizona Basketball

Keshad Johnson #16 and Pelle Larsson #3 of the Arizona Wildcats speak at a press conference before ...

Damon Allred

Grind of final Pac-12 season prepared Arizona basketball for March

No. 2 Arizona men's basketball will look to make it past the Sweet 16 for the first time in Tommy Lloyd's tenure.

20 hours ago

Caitlin Clark celebrates...

Associated Press

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is inspiring a younger generation of players

Caitlin Clark's deep range has expanded the scope of possibilities for up-and-coming women's basketball players.

21 hours ago

Chase Hunter #1 and PJ Hall #24 of the Clemson Tigers high five during the first half against the B...

Vincent DeAngelis

Clemson basketball looks to continue ‘underdog’ run against Arizona in Sweet 16

No. 6 seed Clemson takes on Arizona on Thursday after upsetting No. 3 seed Baylor in the 2024 NCAA Tournament round of 32

1 day ago

(L-R) Caleb Love #2, Keshad Johnson #16, Oumar Ballo #11, and Jaden Bradley #0 of the Arizona Wildc...

Vincent DeAngelis

Re-ranking Arizona basketball among Sweet 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament

Multiple publications rank the Arizona Wildcats around the middle of the pack among the Sweet 16 team still in the NCAA Tournament.

3 days ago

Darian DeVries...

Associated Press

West Virginia basketball hires Darian DeVries to be new coach after 6 years at Drake

West Virginia tapped Drake coach Darian DeVries on Sunday to move the Mountaineers past one of the ugliest years in school history.

4 days ago

Tommy Lloyd...

Arizona Sports

How to watch: Arizona vs. Clemson in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

What time and how to watch the No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats take on No. 6 Clemson Tigers in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

4 days ago

Arizona moves up to No. 12 in final AP Poll before NCAA Tournament