Arizona men’s basketball rises in Associated Press Top 25 after weekend sweep

Jan 23, 2023 - 5:14 PM

Consecutive weeks with Saturday losses led to Arizona taking corresponding dips in the Associated Press poll. By winning both games this past week, including against a Top-5 opponent, has not only halted that trend but started the Wildcats on another climb.

The UA (17-3, 6-3 Pac-12) has jumped to No. 6 in the latest AP Top 25, up from No. 11 a week ago. The rise was by virtue of a home sweep of the Los Angeles schools, beating then-No. 5 UCLA on Saturday for its fifth win this season against a ranked opponent.

UCLA (17-3, 8-1) dropped to No. 8 as the only other ranked Pac-12 school. The Bruins and No. 4 Tennessee (16-3) are two of the five ranked teams the UA has beaten this season.

There’s a new No. 1, as Purdue retakes the top spot following Houston’s 1-point home loss to Temple. The Cougars (18-2) fell to No. 3, while Alabama (17-2) is second and Kansas State (17-2) moved into the Top 5.

Arizona is back in action Thursday at Washington State (9-12, 4-6) and then visits Washington (12-9, 4-6) on Saturday. The Wildcats lost at home to the Cougars on Jan. 7 and had to rally from down 14 to beat UW on Jan. 5.