TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — In the final seconds of a blowout victory, fans at McKale Center in Arizona began chanting “First!”
The No. 2 Wildcats can certainly prove that by beating No. 20 Auburn and No. 1 Purdue on Saturday night for their first loss of the season.
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But then again, Michigan could also be in contention for first place. So can Duke. What about Iowa?
“Obviously, it’s not something you shy away from,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said after a 97-68 win over Auburn. “You’re in Arizona, you’re going to be on the big stage, and that’s a big part of a program like this.”
The 2025-26 college basketball season is off to an epic start, with ready-made star freshmen and top programs across the country willing to schedule tough early games.
The season kicked off in Las Vegas, where Arizona defeated defending national champion Florida, with big games almost every day, sometimes multiple games in one day.
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There have been three dozen games between ranked teams — ten last week alone — and the Thanksgiving game between Duke and Arkansas was the most-watched regular-season game in the past 30 years.
And this is only the first week of December.
Purdue has been standard, opening the preseason ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time and holding steady in four of the first five weeks.
That will change when No. 10 Iowa State enters Mackey Arena and beats the Boilermakers 81-58 in Monday’s poll.
This begs the question: Who’s next in line?
Arizona certainly has a chance.
The Wildcats (8-0) were ranked No. 2 the past two weeks and had four wins over ranked teams: No. 15 Florida; 15 USC Los Angeles (UCLA), No. 5 UConn and home blowout Auburn. The win over the Tigers was Arizona’s largest victory over a ranked opponent since a 39-point victory over No. 19 Western Kentucky in 2002.
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Michigan State can overtake the Wildcats with the enormity of its win.
The Wolverines (8-0) played some tight games early but have left a path of destruction over the past three weeks. Michigan State has won each of its past five games by at least 25 points, including two ranked teams.
The mighty but bad Wolverines rode a three-game winning streak to the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas, beating San Diego State 94-54, Auburn 102-72 and No. 11 Gonzaga 101-61 in the championship game.
Michigan ranked third in last week’s poll but had more first-place votes than Arizona (15-6).
“I think there’s a pretty big gap between Michigan and Arizona and the rest of college basketball, just from what I’ve seen on film and obviously what we’ve experienced in person,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said.
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Don’t forget Duke.
The Blue Devils (10-0) and talented freshman Cameron Boozer take on Texas and No. 21 Kansas State at Madison Square Garden. Duke has made it through a string of games recently unscathed, beating No. 25 Arkansas at home in Chicago, Fla., and then beating No. 7 Michigan State in a game that had the feel of late March.
“That was a big basketball game and I’m still catching my breath,” Duke coach Jon Schell said after the win in East Lansing.
No. 10 Iowa State could also be in the discussion.
The Cyclones (9-0) have one of the most talented trios in the nation in Milan Momchilovic, Joshua Jefferson and Tamin Lipsey and rank fourth nationally with 96.4 points per game.
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It jumped from No. 10 to No. 1, but Iowa State does manage the nation’s highest-ranked team in its own stadium. The 23-point victory over Purdue tied the largest road win against a No. 1 team in NCAA history, a record set in 1995 when No. 15 Villanova defeated No. 1 UConn 96-73.
“It was an avalanche,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said.
This will spark changes at the top levels of college basketball.
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