Arizona Tops the Poll
Arizona’s standing was strengthened at the top of the Associated Press men’s basketball poll on Monday, preparing to face Purdue this weekend, the previous number one team in the country.
Arizona’s Big Win
The Arizona squad received all but one vote from a panel of 63 voters, no doubt impressed by their big 98-73 victory over the 23rd-ranked Badgers. They received three first-place votes to remain at the top for the second consecutive week, while Kansas stayed in second and Purdue – which Arizona replaced at number one – moved down one spot to third after winning against Iowa and Alabama.
Strong Matchup Between Arizona and Purdue
The Arizona team (8-0) will play against Purdue (9-1) on Saturday in Indianapolis.
“We spend a lot of time talking about the legacy of basketball in Arizona,” said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd over the weekend, “and this group we have right now, we are in the spotlight. The sun is shining on us right now.”
Other Movements in the Poll
Houston received the only first-place vote that didn’t go to Arizona but remained in fourth place. UConn remained in fifth after beating ninth-ranked North Carolina and Arkansas last week.
Baylor accounted for half of the top six teams from the Big 12 conference. Following them is Marquette in sixth, then Creighton, Tar Heels, and Gonzaga, which dropped three spots to tenth after losing 78-73 to Washington.
Other Movements in the Poll
Oklahoma jumped eight spots to eleventh place after defeating Providence and Arkansas. Following them are Tennessee, which rose five spots, and undefeated Clemson, which moved up to eleventh after victories over South Carolina and TCU to remain one of the seven teams with perfect records left in Division I basketball.
Kentucky moved up two spots to fourteenth while Florida Atlantic dropped four spots to fifteenth after losing to Illinois.
Other Movements in the Poll
Illinois topped the Boilermakers, followed by Colorado State, BYU, Texas, and James Madison in spots 16 to 20. Duke was at 21, followed by Virginia, Wisconsin, Miami, and Northwestern at 25. The Wildcats (7-1) are ranked for the second consecutive time but for only the seventh time since the 1968-1969 season.
“I hear about it at home. My daughter is probably the most upset that we didn’t get ranked last week. She’s the one who was yelling and screaming that we need to be in the top 25,” said Chris Collins, Northwestern’s coach, who is enjoying his best start in eight games since the 2015-2016 season. “These are all nice rewards for a team that’s playing hard and working hard, but we’re not worrying about that. Our complete focus right now is on winning basketball games.”
Rising and Falling Movements
Oklahoma number 11 plays against Green Bay this week before a prestigious matchup with ninth-ranked Tar Heels next week. Clemson number 13 will also have a chance to continue climbing when they visit Memphis – which is receiving a vote – on Saturday.
Participating Conferences
The Big 12 not only has three of the top six teams but has six in the top 25, including Houston (fourth), BYU (18th), Oklahoma (11th), and Texas (19th) that will soon depart. The ACC has five teams in the top 25, and the Big East and Big Ten each have four teams, although the Big East has three of the top eight in UConn (5th), Marquette (7th), and Creighton (8th).
Get
For alerts and updates on the Top 25 Men’s Basketball Poll from the Associated Press throughout the season. Sign up here. College basketball from the Associated Press: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Source: https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-25-mens-basketball-poll-af0a98c9da3ca98bef24d2ff79ce42d7
“`css
}@media screen and (max-width: 480px) {
.lwrp.link-whisper-related-posts{
}
.lwrp .lwrp-title{
}.lwrp .lwrp-description{
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-multi-container{
flex-direction: column;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-multi-container ul.lwrp-list{
margin-top: 0px;
margin-bottom: 0px;
padding-top: 0px;
padding-bottom: 0px;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-double,
.lwrp .lwrp-list-triple{
width: 100%;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container{
justify-content: initial;
flex-direction: column;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container .lwrp-list-item{
width: 100%;
}
“`
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item:not(.lwrp-no-posts-message-item){
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item .lwrp-list-link .lwrp-list-link-title-text,
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item .lwrp-list-no-posts-message{
};
}
Leave a Reply