Men's Basketball AP Poll: UCLA Sticks Around in Top 5
With the Bruins still being held off the court, they still held strong in the top five.
UCLA men's basketball (8-1) stayed put at No. 5 in the latest edition of the AP Poll on Monday. The Bruins did not receive a single first-place vote and totaled 1,296 points. The USA Today Coaches Poll also had UCLA at No. 5.
The Bruins again did not play a game this week and will not play this upcoming week as a result of an extended COVID-19 shutdown within the program. Their last three nonconference games against Alabama State, North Carolina and Cal Poly were called off, and the ensuing games against Arizona and Arizona State were postponed as well. Even the next contest against Stanford in early January is at risk of being pushed due to health and safety protocols on the Cardinal's side.
The last time UCLA played was Dec.11 versus Marquette, winning 67-56 in what will end up being their only game in a five-week span.
Even with the their hiatus, UCLA held off any competition for a top-five position. Baylor stayed put at No. 1 for the third week in a row.
Around the Pac-12, Arizona dropped from No. 6 to No. 9, while USC moved up from No. 8 to No. 7. Even with the Wildcats losing their first game of the season, the Conference of Champions is tied for the most top-10 teams in the country, and Colorado snuck into the receiving votes section with five points.
The full AP poll is as follows, complete with records and first-place votes:
1. Baylor, 11-0 (61 first-place votes)
2. Duke, 11-1
3. Purdue, 11-1
4. Gonzaga, 10-2
5. UCLA, 8-1
6. Kansas, 9-1
7. USC, 12-0
8. Iowa State, 12-0
9. Arizona, 11-1
10. Michigan State, 10-2
11. Auburn, 11-1
12. Houston, 11-3
13. Ohio State, 8-2
14. Tennessee, 9-2
15. Seton Hall, 9-1
16. LSU, 12-0
17. Texas, 9-2
18. Kentucky, 9-2
19. Alabama, 9-3
20. Colorado State, 10-0
21. Providence, 11-1
22. Villanova, 8-4
23. Xavier, 11-2
24. Wisconsin, 9-2
25. Texas Tech, 9-2
Others receiving votes: Illinois 72, Oklahoma 62, West Virginia 52, Loyola Chicago 39, UConn 34, Michigan 7, Colorado 5, San Francisco 4, Wake Forest 4, Iowa 2, Davidson 2, Minnesota 1, Creighton 1, Memphis 1
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