Arizona’s season began with an eye-opening victory over defending national champion Florida. Five weeks later, the Wildcats have yet to stop impressing.
And they’re now the third team to hold the No. 1 spot in the country this season.
Arizona (8-0) moved up one spot to the top of this week’s Associated Press men’s basketball Top 25, marking the first time the Wildcats have been No. 1 since December 2023. Arizona received 33 of 61 first-place votes, two days after crushing Auburn 97-68 to continue an unbeaten start to the season.
One of eight remaining undefeated teams, Arizona has already notched wins over No. 18 Florida, No. 25 UCLA, No. 5 UConn and No. 21 Auburn. The Wildcats have done it with balance: Six players are averaging at least 9 points per game, led by freshman Koa Peat’s 15.9. Arizona is one of only four teams to rank in the top 10 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. (Iowa State, Gonzaga and Duke are the others.)
The Wildcats will be tested again with a semi-road game against No. 12 Alabama in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday.
Michigan (8-0), Duke (10-0), Iowa State (9-0) and UConn (8-1) rounded out the top five. Iowa State took one of the biggest jumps this week, moving up from 10th after Saturday’s 81-58 win over then-No. 1 Purdue.
The Boilermakers (8-1) fell to sixth after their first loss of the season.
On the other end of the poll, Kentucky’s lackluster start to the season resulted in it falling out of the Top 25 on Monday. The Wildcats (5-4) lost at home to No. 14 North Carolina and then fell by 35 against No. 8 Gonzaga in Nashville, Tenn. USC and Indiana also dropped out after losses.
Nebraska (9-0), Virginia (8-1) and UCLA (7-2) all joined the poll, filling out Nos. 23-25, respectively. It’s the first time the Cornhuskers have been ranked since December 2018.
Here’s the full poll, along with the ballot of The Athletic’s C.J. Moore:
1
8-0
2
2
2
8-0
3
1
3
10-0
4
5
4
9-0
10
3
5
8-1
5
4
6
8-1
1
6
7
8-1
8
10
8
9-1
11
7
9
8-1
7
9
10
7-1
9
8
11
8-1
6
12
12
7-2
12
13
13
7-2
14
14
14
8-1
16
15
15
9-0
17
11
16
7-2
19
17
17
7-2
25
23
18
5-3
15
18
19
7-3
21
16
20
7-3
13
19
21
7-3
20
NR
22
5-3
23
24
23
9-0
NR
20
24
8-1
NR
21
25
7-2
NR
NR
NR
8-1
NR
22
NR
8-1
NR
25
Others receiving votes: Iowa 60, Oklahoma State 54, USC 50, Georgia 49, Saint Mary’s 38, Seton Hall 31, Kentucky 29, Wisconsin 24, Indiana 18, Clemson 14, LSU 14, Villanova 9, Cal 6, Notre Dame 4, Miami 4, SMU 3, TCU 2, Arizona State 2, Miami (Ohio) 2, St. Bonaventure 1
Comparing Arizona and Iowa State
My biggest dilemma this week was what to do with the No. 2 spot. I was higher on Arizona than consensus in the preseason and have had the Wildcats at No. 2 until last week, when I vaulted Michigan to No. 1 and moved Purdue to No. 2. With Iowa State knocking off Purdue in convincing fashion, I went back and forth on whether to put Arizona back in the second spot or move Iowa State up. (Here’s why I kept Michigan at No. 1.)
It’s easy to justify both. Arizona has the better resume — four wins over top-30 KenPom teams, compared to two for Iowa State — but the Cyclones rank higher in all of the computer rankings and the win at Purdue is right there with Michigan’s blowout of Gonzaga as the most impressive win for any team this season. The two teams will be able to settle it in the Big 12, where they are now the two favorites.
Iowa State is always elite defensively, but this team is looking like coach T.J. Otzelberger’s best yet because of the offense. Joshua Jefferson is playing like an All-American and Milan Momcilovic is one of the most talented wings in the country, with an unguardable turnaround. He’s shooting 53.6 percent from 3-point range. Those two were expected to be good — maybe not this good — but the player who has really raised the ceiling is freshman Killyan Toure. He’s a fantastic defender, so he fits in, and he’s also been solid offensively, knocking down open shots (40.9 percent from 3) and playing point guard when Tamin Lipsey has been injured or goes to the bench. The pieces fit together really well. That Purdue win was not a fluke. The Cyclones looked like the more talented team.
Virginia on the rise under Odom
Virginia made its debut in my poll and had one of the best weeks of any team, with a 19-point road win at Texas followed by a 13-point win over Dayton on a neutral floor. The Cavaliers, under first-year coach Ryan Odom, have excellent computer numbers, rising as high as No. 17 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. I considered Virginia in my preseason rankings because of the combination of San Francisco transfer Malik Thomas and international imports Thijs De Ridder and Johann Grunloh. De Ridder, a Belgian forward, has been the star so far, and both foreign bigs have helped dominate the glass — Virginia ranks third in offensive rebounding rate.
Why I ranked Georgia
Also entering my Top 25 is Georgia, a team I did not expect to be ranking this year. I may have whiffed on one of my preseason predictions, picking Georgia as the 2025 tourney team that would not make it back. It’s still early, and the resume is just OK — the best wins are Xavier on a neutral floor and at Florida State — but UGA’s efficiency numbers are impressive. Georgia has climbed from 44th in the preseason to 23rd according to KenPom, a big leap occurring after the 107-73 win at Florida State last week.
The Bulldogs are scoring an NCAA-best 99.9 points per game and rank ninth in points per possession. They are shooting more 3s this year and that’s helped them be uber-efficient inside the 3-point line, making 64.9 percent of their twos. They play their toughest opponent yet this Saturday — Cincinnati in Atlanta — and while the schedule has been relatively weak, the predictive numbers suggest this is going to be a quality team.
