After win over Duke, Arizona jumps 9 spots in AP men’s college basketball rankings
Nov 13, 2023, 1:24 PM
Head coach Tommy Lloyd of the Arizona Wildcats gestures to the officials during the second half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 10, 2023 in Durham, North Carolina. Arizona won 78-73. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
The first Associated Press men’s college basketball rankings of the regular season is typically a jumble of teams swapping positions as preseason expectations meet the reality of playing actual games. The first poll of the 2023-24 is no different.
Kansas remained at No. 1 and received 51 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel in the poll released Monday, but the rest of the AP Top 25 was filled with teams moving up and down.
No. 2 Purdue moved up a spot with two easy opening wins and received seven first-place votes. No. 3 Arizona took a giant leap from 12 after beating Duke and had three first-place votes.
No. 4 Marquette moved up a spot as did defending national champion Connecticut, which received a first-place vote to round out the top five. No. 24 James Madison moved into the poll for the first time ever after taking down Michigan State in overtime.
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Arizona’s rapid rise stemmed from a successful trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Wildcats were a bit of an unknown entity in coach Tommy Lloyd’s third season with several new players replacing key losses from a team that lost to Princeton in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Arizona answered some of the questions with an impressive road performance, knocking off Duke 78-73 after blowing out Morgan State in its opener. The Blue Devils dropped to No. 9 after the loss.
“I said play with poise because you’re the better team,” Lloyd said. “Trust that you’re the better team over the course of 40 minutes. I knew that it would be a small margin but I feel like that. I love this group of guys and feel like we’re going to be as good a ball club as anybody in the country.”
Men’s college basketball rankings: AP poll
| Record | Pts | Prv | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Kansas (51) | 2-0 | 1530 | 1 |
| 2. Purdue (7) | 2-0 | 1464 | 3 |
| 3. Arizona (3) | 2-0 | 1356 | 12 |
| 4. Marquette | 2-0 | 1311 | 5 |
| 5. UConn (1) | 2-0 | 1301 | 6 |
| 6. Houston | 2-0 | 1180 | 7 |
| 7. Tennessee | 2-0 | 1146 | 9 |
| 8. Creighton | 2-0 | 1130 | 8 |
| 9. Duke | 1-1 | 1088 | 2 |
| 10. FAU | 1-0 | 1004 | 10 |
| 11. Gonzaga | 1-0 | 825 | 11 |
| 12. Miami | 2-0 | 778 | 13 |
| 13. Texas A&M | 2-0 | 728 | 15 |
| 14. Arkansas | 2-0 | 719 | 14 |
| 15. Baylor | 3-0 | 578 | 20 |
| 16. Southern Cal | 2-0 | 573 | 21 |
| 17. Kentucky | 2-0 | 549 | 16 |
| 18. Michigan St. | 1-1 | 516 | 4 |
| 19. Texas | 2-0 | 513 | 18 |
| 20. North Carolina | 2-0 | 501 | 19 |
| 21. Villanova | 2-0 | 406 | 22 |
| 22. Alabama | 2-0 | 264 | 24 |
| 23. Illinois | 2-0 | 170 | 25 |
| 24. James Madison | 3-0 | 91 | – |
| 25. Colorado | 2-0 | 78 | – |
Others receiving votes: Memphis 53, Virginia 49, St. John’s 47, UCLA 36, TCU 34, San Diego St. 33, BYU 32, Saint Mary’s 20, Mississippi St. 19, Iowa St. 10, Wisconsin 6, Auburn 5, Michigan 2, Weber St. 2, Drake 1, Boise St. 1, Clemson 1.
