Arizona remained the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll ahead of Monday night’s showdown at No. 13 BYU, while fellow unbeaten Nebraska climbed to a program-best fifth ahead of its big week in the Big Ten.
The Wildcats, riding their best start since the 2013-14 season, received all 60 first-place votes from the national media panel to easily outdistance No. 2 Connecticut and No. 3 Michigan, whose places remained unchanged from last week’s poll.
Arizona is 20-0 going into the week, just the third 20-game winning streak in program history.
“We’re just trying to win one game every week, or however many games we have, and I think we’re doing a good job of it,” Wildcats freshman star Koa Peat said. “Just keep doing what we’re doing and keep getting better as a team.”
Duke remained No. 4 ahead of the Cornhuskers, who also are 20-0 and climbed two spots from last week. Nebraska has won 24 in a row dating to last season, the longest winning streak by any Big Ten team since Ohio State won 24 straight to start the 2010-11 season.
Just like Arizona, the path to stay perfect is perilous. The Huskers visit Michigan on Tuesday night and play No. 9 Illinois on Sunday. The Illini rose two spots after winning at then-No. 4 Purdue on Saturday behind freshman Keaton Wagler’s 46-point game.
“Heck of a team, man,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said after the Huskers beat his team a couple of weeks ago. “It’s really refreshing to watch the purity they play with, the joy they play with, the toughness they play with.”
Gonzaga moved up two spots to sixth after narrowly avoiding an upset loss to San Francisco. The Bulldogs were followed by Michigan State, Iowa State, the Illini and Houston, which remained in the top 10 for a 23rd straight poll despite its loss to Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders were right behind at No. 11 after wins over Baylor and their 90-86 triumph over the Cougars on Saturday.
Purdue tumbled eight spots to No. 12 after back-to-back losses to UCLA and Illinois. BYU stayed put at No. 13, Kansas climbed five spots to No. 14 ahead of its matchup with BYU on Saturday, and Arkansas also moved up five spots to round out the top 15.
St. John’s, the preseason No. 5, returned to the poll for the first time since dropping out in mid-December after wins over Seton Hall and Xavier, the latter giving coach Rick Pitino his 900th win. Georgia dropped out after a lopsided loss to Texas.
Rising and falling
North Carolina made the biggest climb this week, moving up six spots to No. 16 after wins over Notre Dame and then-No. 14 Virginia. Kansas and Arkansas were just ahead of the Tar Heels after moving up five spots apiece.
Purdue’s eight-spot fall to No. 12 dropped the Boilermakers out of the top 10 for the first time this season. Alabama fell six spots to No. 23 after its loss to Tennessee, while Houston and Clemson each fell four spots after losses last week.
Update on the NET
The NET rankings released Monday, which the NCAA uses to help with its tournament selection, largely mirrors the Top 25, though with a few exceptions. It ranks UConn six spots lower at No. 8, Texas Tech seven down at 18th and Arkansas five lower at 20th, while Illinois is three spots better at No. 6, Vanderbilt five spots better at 13th and Florida three better at 16th.
It also ranks at Iowa at No. 21; the Hawkeyes are fourth among those also receiving votes in the AP poll. Top 25 voters put Miami (Ohio) at 24th amid its perfect start to the season, while the NCAA ranking has the RedHawks at No. 48.
Conference watch
The Big 12 and Big Ten continue to dominate the Top 25. Arizona leads three top-10 teams for the Big 12 and six in the Top 25, while Michigan, Nebraska, Michigan State and Illinois give the Big Ten four in the top 10 and Purdue makes it five in the Top 25.
The ACC also has five ranked teams, the SEC four, the Big East two and the West Coast, Atlantic 10 and Mid-American one apiece.
