ARIZONA STATE BASKETBALL
Wildcats men’s hoops remains top 5, Sun Devils knocked out of AP rankings
Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa (25) pushes the fast break during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Montana State, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Tucson, Ariz. Arizona won 85-64. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The Arizona men’s basketball team remains in the top five, but Arizona State was kicked out of the latest AP rankings on Monday.
ASU was blown out 97-60 on the road by San Francisco on Wednesday while UA ousted Montana State 85-64 on Tuesday and Morgan State 93-68 on Thursday in Tucson.
The Sun Devils host the Wildcats on Saturday at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe at 12 p.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7, the Arizona Sports app and ArizonaSports.com.
Purdue remained atop The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for a third straight week, while preseason No. 1 North Carolina returned to the rankings and New Mexico cracked the poll for the first time in eight years.
The Boilermakers earned 40 of 60 first-place votes in Monday’s latest poll, while fellow unbeaten Connecticut earned the other 20 to sit at No. 2 in an unchanged top.
Purdue had never been ranked No. 1 before a one-week stay there last December, and was unranked to start the season. But the Boilermakers made a rapid rise from No. 24 to No. 5 in a one-week span in late November, then climbed to No. 1 on Dec. 12.
The Boilermakers’ win against New Orleans last week marked their first home game with that No. 1 ranking.
“We’ve not had any handouts. We’ve had to work for everything,” coach Matt Painter said afterward, adding: “But we’ve earned it. but we’ve got to keep earning it. This isn’t the season. This is just a third of the season.”
THE TOP TIER
No. 3 Houston, No. 4 Kansas and No. 5 Arizona held their positions as the top five remained in place for a second straight week.
Texas was next at No. 6, followed by Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Gonzaga — the preseason choice at No. 2 that returned to the top 10 after sliding as low as No. 18 earlier this month.
FAREWELL (FOR NOW)
Illinois (No. 16), Virginia Tech (No. 21), Marquette (No. 24) and Arizona State (No. 25) fell out from last week’s poll.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
AP Top 25 college basketball rankings
| Team | Record | Pts | Prv |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Purdue (40) | 12-0 | 1478 | 1 |
| 2. UConn (20) | 13-0 | 1459 | 2 |
| 3. Houston | 12-1 | 1351 | 3 |
| 4. Kansas | 10-1 | 1290 | 4 |
| 5. Arizona | 10-1 | 1269 | 5 |
| 6. Texas | 8-1 | 1195 | 7 |
| 7. Tennessee | 9-1 | 1064 | 8 |
| 8. Alabama | 9-2 | 1024 | 9 |
| 9. Arkansas | 9-2 | 1021 | 10 |
| 10. Gonzaga | 10-1 | 1004 | 11 |
| 11. UCLA | 9-3 | 895 | 13 |
| 12. Baylor | 7-2 | 873 | 12 |
| 13. Virginia | 10-2 | 871 | 6 |
| 14. Miami (FL) | 10-2 | 819 | 22 |
| 15. Wisconsin | 11-0 | 623 | 17 |
| 16. Indiana | 8-3 | 528 | 18 |
| 17. Duke | 9-2 | 432 | 14 |
| 18. TCU | 8-3 | 408 | 20 |
| 19. Kentucky | 7-3 | 370 | – |
| 20. Auburn | 9-1 | 358 | 23 |
| 21. Mississippi State | 11-1 | 297 | 15 |
| T-22. New Mexico | 11-1 | 208 | – |
| T-22. Xavier | 9-2 | 118 | – |
| 24. West Virginia | 9-3 | 116 | – |
| 25. North Carolina | 11-1 | 98 | – |
Others receiving votes: Charleston 102, Maryland 87, Memphis 74, Illinois 65, Ohio State 59, Virginia Tech 57, Missouri 57, San Diego State 39, Iowa State 19, Marquette 12, Texas Tech 10, Michigan State 7, Providence 6, Kansas State 5, USC 4, San Francisco 1
