Arizona, Michigan keep top spots in AP basketball poll

No. 1 Arizona and No. 2 Michigan remained locked in place atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released Monday while No. 15 Nebraska jumped to its highest Top 25 ranking in nearly 35 years.

The Wildcats had 42 of 61 first-place votes to hold the top spot while the Wolverines received 15 to keep the teams at 1-2 for a second consecutive week.

The Wildcats (9-0) rallied from a halftime deficit Saturday to claim a 21-point win against then-No. 12 Alabama in the Crimson Tide’s home state, adding to a list of victories against ranked opponents that includes reigning national champion Florida, at UConn and Auburn.

The top 10 was largely unchanged, with No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 8 Houston swapping spots from last week the only new wrinkle. No. 3 Duke (three) and No. 4 Iowa State (one) were the only other teams to earn first-place votes.

UConn and Purdue were next after the Cyclones, and Michigan State and BYU rounded out the top 10.

The Cornhuskers (11-0) had the week’s biggest jump of eight spots after Saturday’s win at then-No. 13 Illinois on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Nebraska has not been ranked this high since it was No. 11 in March 1991 for the final poll of that season.

Nebraska had been ranked just 15 times in the more than three decades since, then jumped in at No. 23 last week.

No. 14 Arkansas climbed three spots after beating then-No. 16 Texas Tech over the weekend, while No. 12 North Carolina, No. 13 Vanderbilt and No. 17 Kansas each rose two spots.

The now-No. 18 Illini and 23rd-ranked Florida had the week’s biggest slides, with each falling five spots. Alabama fell four spots after losing to Arizona and Texas Tech slid three, joining Houston as the week’s five teams to drop.


(AP Photo Vasha Hunt)