Arizona was ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday, reward for a perfect start to the season that has included four wins against ranked opponents, including a lopsided victory over Auburn last weekend.
Purdue, which had been ranked No. 1 for the past three weeks, slipped to No. 6 after losing 81-58 at home to Iowa State, and the entire poll shifted, with only two teams remaining in the same position as last week.
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The Wildcats received 33 of 60 first-place votes from the national media panel to claim first place for the first time since Dec. 11, 2023 and just the third time since the 2013-14 season. They defeated No. 2 Michigan, which earned 19 first-place votes in part with wins over Florida, UConn and UCLA, while also handily defeating then-No. 1 Michigan 97-68. Saturday Night 20 Tigers.
“Obviously, it’s not something you shy away from,” Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd said of the No. 1 spot. “You know, you’re in Arizona. Big stage. That’s part of being in a program like this. But we have bigger things to do.”
The Wolverines also moved up one spot to achieve their best ranking since March 2021. Duke received six first-place votes to move into third place. The Cyclones notched a huge win in West Lafayette, Indiana, moving up six spots to fourth place and picking up one first-place vote. Iowa State has never been ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll era, which began with the 1948-49 season.
“They stole our spirit,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter, whose team tied the record for largest home loss and became the No. 1 team in the nation. “The reason we were frustrated was because of them. They were awesome. They got us to the woodshed.”
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UConn remains ahead of Purdue in fifth place after beating Kansas last week at Allen Fieldhouse.
Houston is ranked No. 7, Gonzaga moves up three spots to No. 8, Michigan State is No. 9 and BYU moves into the top 10 after a week of high-profile matchups in college basketball.
Louisville dropped five spots to No. 11 after losing to Arkansas. Alabama remains ranked No. 12, followed by Illinois, North Carolina and Vanderbilt, the only undefeated team in the SEC and one of only eight teams left in Division I men’s basketball.
Texas Tech is next, followed by the Razorbacks, who moved up eight spots after beating Fresno State last week. Florida State fell to No. 18 after losing to the Blue Devils 67-66, Kansas State moved up to No. 19 and Tennessee cracked the top 20.
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The bottom five schools in the poll are Auburn, St. John’s, Nebraska, Virginia and UCLA.
The No. 23 Huskers are 9-0 for just the third time in school history and have won 13 straight games since last season, the third-longest streak in school history. This is their best ranking since they were ranked 21st in Week 2 of the 2014-15 season.
rise and fall
Arkansas was ranked No. 14 in the preseason poll and was almost out of contention, but made a big jump to No. 17 this week after two wins. Iowa State has steadily climbed to No. 4 since being ranked No. 16 in the preseason poll.
Tennessee dropped seven spots this week to No. 20 after losses to Syracuse and Illinois. Purdue University and the University of Louisville each dropped five spots.
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in and out
Nebraska and Virginia replace Indiana and USC in first-time polls. The Cavaliers didn’t receive a single vote last week but earned enough rankings to land at No. 24. UCLA also returns to the rankings, while Kentucky dropped out.
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The Big 12, Big Ten and SEC each have six ranked teams, but the Big 12 has the No. 1 team in the country. It also holds four spots in the top 10, compared with three in the Big Ten and none in the SEC. The ACC has four ranked teams, two in the Big East and one on the West Coast.
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