College basketball rankings: Arizona jumps into top 5, Grand Canyon builds steam
Feb 12, 2024, 11:30 AM
Pelle Larsson #3 of the Arizona Wildcats slam dunks over Ben Carlson #1 of the Utah Utes during the first half of their game at the Jon M Huntsman on February 8, 2024 in Salt Lake City , Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
The Arizona Wildcats leaped from eighth to fifth in the latest men’s college basketball rankings released by The Associated Press on Monday.
Arizona (19-5) extended its winning streak to five games after surviving a three-overtime game against Utah on Thursday before blowing out Colorado by 20 points Saturday.
The Wildcats jumped Kansas, North Carolina and Tennessee in the rankings.
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Tommy Lloyd’s team is 10-3 in Pac-12 play and a game ahead of second-place Washington State, the only other team in the conference to receive top 25 votes. The Cougars are five slots out of the top 25 with 82 points.
Washington State and Arizona meet in 10 days, after the Wildcats host rival Arizona State this coming Saturday.
The Wildcats aren’t the only team representing the state of Arizona in terms of AP recognition. Grand Canyon (22-2) is 13 spots out of the top 25 but did receive 13 points in the rankings.
At 12-1 in WAC play and two games up on Tarleton State, the Antelopes have also won five in a row and this past week defeated Souther Utah 94-65.
AP college basketball rankings – Feb. 12
| Record | Pts | Prv | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. UConn (45) | 22-2 | 1509 | 1 |
| 2. Purdue (16) | 22-2 | 1480 | 2 |
| 3. Houston | 21-3 | 1386 | 5 |
| 4. Marquette | 18-5 | 1273 | 7 |
| 5. Arizona | 19-5 | 1241 | 8 |
| 6. Kansas | 19-5 | 1227 | 4 |
| 7. North Carolina | 19-5 | 1216 | 3 |
| 8. Tennessee | 17-6 | 1033 | 6 |
| 9. Duke | 18-5 | 1025 | 9 |
| 10. Iowa St. | 18-5 | 969 | 14 |
| 11. South Carolina | 21-3 | 921 | 15 |
| 12. Baylor | 17-6 | 811 | 13 |
| 13. Auburn | 19-5 | 799 | 12 |
| 14. Illinois | 17-6 | 728 | 10 |
| 15. Alabama | 17-7 | 618 | 16 |
| 16. Dayton | 19-4 | 425 | 18 |
| 17. Creighton | 17-7 | 410 | 19 |
| 18. Saint Mary’s | 20-6 | 296 | – |
| 19. BYU | 17-6 | 294 | 21 |
| 20. Wisconsin | 16-8 | 249 | 11 |
| 21. Virginia | 19-5 | 218 | – |
| 22. Kentucky | 16-7 | 217 | 17 |
| 23. Indiana St | 22-3 | 209 | – |
| 24. FAU | 19-5 | 206 | 20 |
| 25. Oklahoma | 18-6 | 178 | – |
Others receiving votes in the AP men’s college basketball rankings: Utah St. 160, Colorado St. 145, Texas Tech 111, San Diego St. 84, Washington St. 82, Clemson 57, Nevada 57, Gonzaga 50, New Mexico 27, Florida 19, Michigan St. 17, Texas A&M 16, Grand Canyon 13, Mississippi 12, TCU 10, Texas 9, Memphis 8, South Florida 7, Northwestern 2, UNC Wilmington 1.
