Arizona took over the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll Monday for the first time in nearly a decade, receiving 58 of 62 first-place votes.
The Wildcats haven't been ranked No. 1 since the last week of January 2014, when their 21-game winning streak to start the season ended in a loss at Cal and a serious injury to standout forward Brandon Ashley.
Houston (8-0), which moved up from No. 6 to No. 3 after winning at Xavier on Friday, received three first-place votes and Kansas received one.
The Jayhawks (7-1) moved to No. 2 after beating UConn on Friday; they also have wins over Kentucky and Tennessee but a loss to Marquette.
Arizona Basketball Press Conference | Tommy Lloyd | Dec. 2, 2023 (after home win over Colgate)
Purdue (7-1) dropped from No. 1 to No. 4 after losing at Northwestern while UConn was fifth.
Wisconsin (6-2), which will face Arizona on Saturday at McKale Center, moved into the poll at No. 23 after beating Marquette. The Badgers will play at Michigan State (4-3) on Tuesday before traveling to Tucson.
Among other UA opponents this season, Florida Atlantic (7-1) moved up from No. 13 to 11 after beating Liberty and Charleston last week, while Duke dropped from No. 7 to No. 22 after losing to Arkansas and Georgia Tech, and Alabama (5-2) dropped out from No. 23 after losing to Clemson.
While Duke is the only ranked opponent Arizona has beaten so far this season, the Wildcats will now face Wisconsin on Saturday, Purdue on Dec. 16 in Indianapolis and Florida Atlantic on Dec. 23 in Las Vegas. They will also face Alabama on Dec. 20 in Phoenix, and the Crimson Tide will have a chance to return to the Top 25 by facing Purdue and Creighton before them
FWIW, I had Arizona, Houston, Kansas, Purdue and UConn as my top five onΒ the ballot I submitted to the AP.
