The Arizona Wildcats fell three spots and found themselves ranked 22nd in The Associated Press’ updated top 25 men’s college basketball rankings.
Tommy Lloyd’s team has lost three of its last four but stopped a two-game losing streak last Monday with a 74-67 victory at the Baylor Bears.
A 96-95 home loss to now-No. 25 BYU on Saturday dropped Arizona to 18-9 on the season.
The Wildcats (12-4 Big 12) remain tied for second in the Big 12 with the No. 10 Texas Tech Red Raiders. They are chasing the No. 4 Houston Cougars (15-1 Big 12).
Who is the No. 1 team in college basketball?
The Associated Press — Auburn remained atop the AP Top 25 for the seventh straight week on Monday, while preseason No. 1 Kansas dropped out of the men’s basketball poll for the first time in nearly four years, ending the Jayhawks’ ranked run at 80 consecutive weeks.
The Tigers earned all 60 votes from the national media panel after beating Arkansas and Georgia last week. They were followed by Duke and Florida, which traded places in the poll, with Houston and Tennessee rounding out the top five. Houston has the nation’s longest active streak in the Top 25 at 102 weeks.
The Jayhawks were dropped from the poll for the first time since Feb. 8, 2021, when the season was played amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That had ended a record 231 consecutive weeks in the Top 25 for Kansas.
The Jayhawks’ were dropped this week after a 74-67 loss at Utah and a 91-57 blowout loss at BYU, the biggest margin of defeat in school history for a ranked Kansas team against an unranked opponent. BYU entered the poll at No. 25 this week.
Kansas took out its frustration on Oklahoma State on Saturday, rolling to a 96-64 victory in Allen Fieldhouse.
“We’re 1-0,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said afterward. “That’s what we’re talking about. And everybody’s stat sheet in what they’re averaging this year is exactly what happened today. And we’re not even gonna talk about the other stuff right now.”
Alabama fell two spots to No. 6 this week and was followed by St. John’s and Michigan State, which jumped six spots after back-to-back ranked wins over Purdue and Michigan. Iowa State and Texas Tech rounded out the top 10.
Kansas dropped out along with Ole Miss, which had been ranked the last 13 weeks and 15 of the last 16. That made room for Saint Mary’s, which beat Portland and Gonzaga to enter at No. 23, and BYU, which followed its win over the Jayhawks by beating then-No. 19 Arizona 96-95 on Saturday thanks to two free throws by Richie Saunders with 3.2 seconds left.
The Associated Press’ top 25 men’s college basketball rankings – Feb. 24
| Team | Record | Pts | Prv |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Auburn (60) | 25-2 | 1500 | 1 |
| 2. Duke | 24-3 | 1406 | 3 |
| 3. Florida | 24-3 | 1397 | 2 |
| 4. Houston | 23-4 | 1327 | 5 |
| 5. Tennessee | 22-5 | 1236 | 6 |
| 6. Alabama | 22-5 | 1198 | 4 |
| 7. St. John’s | 24-4 | 1132 | 10 |
| 8. Michigan St. | 22-5 | 1055 | 14 |
| 9. Iowa St. | 21-6 | 1004 | 8 |
| 10. Texas Tech | 21-6 | 915 | 9 |
| 11. Wisconsin | 21-6 | 800 | 11 |
| 12. Texas A&M | 20-7 | 797 | 7 |
| 13. Clemson | 22-5 | 712 | 18 |
| 14. Missouri | 20-7 | 683 | 15 |
| 15. Michigan | 20-6 | 657 | 12 |
| 16. Maryland | 21-6 | 630 | 20 |
| 17. Kentucky | 18-9 | 461 | 17 |
| 18. Memphis | 22-5 | 393 | 22 |
| 19. Louisville | 21-6 | 372 | 25 |
| 20. Purdue | 19-9 | 328 | 13 |
| 21. Marquette | 20-7 | 309 | 16 |
| 22. Arizona | 18-9 | 289 | 19 |
| 23. Saint Mary’s | 25-4 | 284 | – |
| 24. Mississippi St. | 19-8 | 264 | 21 |
| 25. BYU | 19-8 | 135 | – |
Others receiving votes: Creighton 53, Mississippi 28, Kansas 25, New Mexico 23, VCU 20, Oregon 20, UCLA 14, Drake 12, UC San Diego 8, Gonzaga 3, High Point 3, Illinois 3, Vanderbilt 2, Utah St. 1, Yale 1.
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