Arizona basketball strengthens No. 1 ranking ahead of top-3 showdown vs. Purdue
Dec 11, 2023, 11:35 AM | Updated: 2:22 pm
(L-R) Pelle Larsson #3 of the Arizona Wildcats, Caleb Love #2 and Keshad Johnson #16 celebrate a basket during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at McKale Center on December 09, 2023 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
Arizona strengthened its ranking atop The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll Monday, setting up a showdown this weekend against Purdue, the former No. 1 team in the nation.
The Wildcats earned all but one first-place vote from a panel of 63 voters, no doubt impressing them with their 98-73 win over the No. 23 Wisconsni Badgers. They picked up three first-place votes to remain atop the poll for the second straight week, while Kansas remained at No. 2 and Purdue — which Arizona had supplanted at No. 1 — moved up one spot to third after wins over Iowa and Alabama.
The Wildcats (8-0) play the Boilermakers (9-1) on Saturday in Indianapolis.
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“We spend a lot of time talking about Arizona basketball legacy,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said over the weekend, “and this group right now, we’re in the sun. The sun is shining on us right now.”
Houston received the only No. 1 vote that didn’t go to the Wildcats but still dropped one spot to fourth. UConn remained at No. 5 after beating ninth-ranked North Carolina and Arkansas-Pine Bluff last week.
AP men’s college basketball rankings – Dec. 11
| Team | Record | Pts | Prv |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Arizona (62) | 8-0 | 1574 | 1 |
| 2. Kansas | 9-1 | 1461 | 2 |
| 3. Purdue | 9-1 | 1424 | 4 |
| 4. Houston (1) | 10-0 | 1416 | 3 |
| 5. UConn | 9-1 | 1344 | 5 |
| 6. Baylor | 9-0 | 1239 | 6 |
| 7. Marquette | 8-2 | 1221 | 8 |
| 8. Creighton | 8-1 | 1073 | 10 |
| 9. North Carolina | 7-2 | 992 | 9 |
| 10. Gonzaga | 7-2 | 860 | 7 |
| 11. Oklahoma | 9-0 | 848 | 19 |
| 12. Tennessee | 6-3 | 835 | 17 |
| 13. Clemson | 9-0 | 746 | 24 |
| 14. Kentucky | 7-2 | 677 | 16 |
| 15. FAU | 7-2 | 622 | 11 |
| 16. Illinois | 7-2 | 589 | 20 |
| 17. Colorado St. | 9-1 | 522 | 13 |
| 18. BYU | 8-1 | 503 | 14 |
| 19. Texas | 7-2 | 451 | 12 |
| 20. James Madison | 9-0 | 441 | 18 |
| 21. Duke | 6-3 | 315 | 22 |
| 22. Virginia | 8-1 | 300 | – |
| 23. Wisconsin | 7-3 | 213 | 23 |
| 24. Miami | 7-2 | 156 | 15 |
| 25. Northwestern | 7-1 | 147 | – |
Others receiving AP men’s college basketball ranking votes: Colorado 116, Mississippi 86, Texas A&M 58, Auburn 57, Memphis 56, Alabama 43, Utah 25, Iowa St. 20, Ohio St. 9, Providence 7, San Diego St. 7, TCU 6, Nevada 5, South Carolina 3, New Mexico 2, Washington 2, Kansas St 1, Grand Canyon 1, Dayton 1, Saint Joseph’s 1.
