ARIZONA BASKETBALL

Arizona slips a spot in AP basketball poll after loss to ASU

Feb 27, 2023, 10:26 AM | Updated: 12:03 pm
Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa (25) reacts after Arizona State guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. hits a three ...

Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa (25) reacts after Arizona State guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. hits a three point buzzer beater to defeat Arizona 89-88 during an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

A three-quarter-court shot to beat the buzzer by Arizona State kept the Sun Devils quite alive when it comes to their postseason hopes.

For their rivals, the losing Wildcats (24-5), the 89-88 final line at McKale Center on Saturday is another ding that combined with a UCLA victory against Colorado later in the weekend cost Arizona an opportunity to win the Pac-12 regular-season title.

It also cost the Wildcats a bit in the polls. The Associated Press rankings slid Arizona down a spot, to eighth, as the Baylor Bears jumped Tommy Lloyd’s team.

The top five spots in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll remained the same. The rest of the AP Top 25 was a big jumble.

Houston was No. 1 for the second straight week in the poll released Monday, receiving 49 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel. No. 2 Alabama had five first-place votes and No. 3 Kansas received eight.

UCLA and Purdue rounded out the top five. The Boilermakers held at No. 5 despite losing to No. 15 Indiana.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Men’s college basketball AP rankings

Team Record Pts Prv
1. Houston (49) 27-2 1531 1
2. Alabama (5) 25-4 1456 2
3. Kansas (8) 24-5 1445 3
4. UCLA 25-4 1391 4
5. Purdue 24-5 1200 5
6. Marquette 23-6 1173 10
7. Baylor 21-8 1099 9
8. Arizona 24-5 1091 7
9. Texas 22-7 1077 8
10. Gonzaga 25-5 1026 12
11. Kansas St 22-7 1002 14
12. Tennessee 21-8 736 11
13. Virginia 21-6 718 6
14. UConn 22-7 714 18
15. Indiana 20-9 697 17
16. Miami 23-6 668 13
17. Saint Mary’s 25-6 592 15
18. San Diego St. 23-5 552 22
19. Xavier 21-8 505 16
20. Providence 21-8 299 20
21. Maryland 20-9 184
22. TCU 19-10 173 24
23. Kentucky 20-9 162
24. Texas A&M 21-8 161 25
25. Pittsburgh 21-8 140

Others receiving votes: Creighton 87, Duke 78, Oral Roberts 40, Northwestern 39, FAU 25, Iowa St. 20, Nevada 17, Missouri 16, Arkansas 7, NC State 6, Coll of Charleston 6, Clemson 5, Memphis 4, Southern Cal 3, Boise St. 3, VCU 1, West Virginia 1.

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