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College basketball rankings: Arizona holds in AP top 25 poll – Arizona Sports
ARIZONA BASKETBALL
Nov 20, 2023, 12:09 PM
Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love #2 during a basketball game between the Southern University Jaguars and the University of Arizona Wildcats on November 13, 2023 at McKale Center in Tucson, AZ. (Photo by Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BY
The Arizona Wildcats through five games held at No. 3 in the country in the latest The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll released Monday.
Arizona last week defeated Belmont 100-68 and then UT Arlington 101-56, both wins coming in Tucson.
Kansas’ comeback win in a marquee matchup kept the Jayhawks firmly entrenched atop the rankings on Monday while No. 10 Miami climbed to its highest ranking in nearly five years.
The Jayhawks stayed at No. 1 and Miami climbed to No. 10 to replace a tumbling Florida Atlantic in the only major change at the top of the rankings.
Kansas (3-0) rallied from 14 down to beat Kentucky in last week’s Champions Classic, led by a huge game from transfer big man Hunter Dickinson in its lone game of the week. That helped the Jayhawks pick up an additional first-place vote from last week, topping 52 of 61 ballots.
Arizona checked in at No. 3 and reigning NCAA champion Connecticut was No. 5, followed by No. 6 Houston, Tennessee, Creighton, Duke and Miami.
ON THE RISE
Colorado had the week’s biggest jump, rising seven spots to No. 18 to extend the program’s first stay in the poll since the end of the 2020-21 season.
North Carolina was next by jumping six spots to No. 14, followed by No. 17 Alabama (five spots) and No. 15 Texas (four).
In all, nine teams moved up from last week’s poll.
ON THE FADE
There were multiple big slides in the poll behind the Owls.
No. 23 USC fell seven spots after a home loss to UC Irvine, while No. 20 Arkansas tumbled six spots after losing to UNC Greensboro at home.
No. 21 Michigan State was the fourth and final team to fall from last week, sliding three spots after a loss to Duke in the Champions Classic. The Spartans rebounded with big-margin wins against Butler and Alcorn State.
STATUS QUO
Ten teams stayed in their position last week, including the Zags.
WELCOME
No. 24 Virginia and No. 25 Mississippi State were the week’s new additions, with the Bulldogs cracking the poll for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
FAREWELL (FOR NOW)
Villanova (No. 21) and Illinois (No. 23 fell out of the poll.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Southeastern Conference led the way with six ranked teams, including No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 16 Kentucky. The Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences were next with four each.
The Pac-12 and Big East conferences each had three ranked teams, followed by the Big Ten with two. The American Athletic Conference, Sun Belt and West Coast Conference rounded out the field with one each.
Others receiving votes in AP’s college basketball rankings: Memphis 149, BYU 138, Illinois 138, San Diego St. 77, UCLA 75, TCU 69, Iowa St. 67, Villanova 44, Auburn 28, Clemson 12, Oklahoma 10, Princeton 10, Michigan 10, Liberty 7, South Carolina 3, Chattanooga 2, Nevada 1, Drake 1, Colorado St. 1.
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