ARIZONA BASKETBALL
Arizona basketball slides in AP rankings after loss to Stanford
Stanford forward Max Murrell (10) shoots a 3-point basket against Arizona guard Cedric Henderson Jr. (45) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
A slip-up against Stanford on Saturday slid the Arizona Wildcats four spots, to eighth, in the updated men’s basketball top 25 released Monday by The Associated Press.
The Wildcats split a road trip last week, beating California 85-62 before falling to the Cardinal 88-79 on Saturday.
Arizona (22-4) in the Stanford game got 12 points and four rebounds combined out of its big-man duo of Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo. They average 34.9 points and 18.1 boards per game between them.
The loss drops the Wildcats to 11-4 in Pac-12 play, behind No. 4 UCLA’s 12-2 conference record.
Alabama is the new No. 1, rising to the top spot in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the first time in 20 years.
Purdue’s loss to Northwestern last week caused a jumble at the top of the AP Top 25 and that helped the Crimson Tide.
Alabama received 38 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel Monday, moving up two spots to leapfrog No. 2 Houston. The Cougars had 22 first-place votes to remain at No. 2 and Purdue, down to No. 3, still had two first-place votes.
UCLA and Kansas rounded out the top five. Texas and Virginia filled out sixth and seventh, respectively, before Arizona, Baylor and Tennessee filled out the top 10 in that order.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
AP top-25 men’s basketball rankings
| Team | Record | Pts | Prv |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Alabama (38) | 22-3 | 1523 | 3 |
| 2. Houston (22) | 23-2 | 1503 | 2 |
| 3. Purdue (2) | 23-3 | 1408 | 1 |
| 4. UCLA | 21-4 | 1302 | 7 |
| 5. Kansas | 20-5 | 1283 | 9 |
| 6. Texas | 20-5 | 1214 | 5 |
| 7. Virginia | 19-4 | 1212 | 8 |
| 8. Arizona | 22-4 | 1139 | 4 |
| 9. Baylor | 19-6 | 1072 | 14 |
| 10. Tennessee | 19-6 | 896 | 6 |
| 11. Marquette | 20-6 | 815 | 10 |
| 12. Kansas St | 19-6 | 790 | 12 |
| 13. Gonzaga | 21-5 | 761 | 16 |
| 14. Indiana | 18-7 | 717 | 18 |
| 15. Miami | 20-5 | 693 | 19 |
| 16. Xavier | 19-6 | 642 | 13 |
| 17. Saint Mary’s | 22-5 | 567 | 15 |
| 18. Creighton | 17-8 | 517 | 23 |
| 19. Iowa St. | 16-8 | 396 | 11 |
| 20. UConn | 19-7 | 358 | 21 |
| 21. San Diego St. | 20-5 | 271 | 25 |
| 22. TCU | 17-8 | 204 | 17 |
| 23. NC State | 20-6 | 140 | 22 |
| 24. Providence | 18-7 | 136 | 20 |
| 25. FAU | 24-2 | 117 | – |
Others receiving votes: Missouri 114, Northwestern 96, Illinois 84, Pittsburgh 82, Nevada 36, Oklahoma St. 23, Texas A&M 16, Oral Roberts 9, Iowa 5, Arkansas 4, Rutgers 2, Maryland 1, Coll of Charleston 1, Boise St. 1.
