Men's Basketball AP Poll: UCLA Back on the Rise After Defending Home Court
While the leap may not be a very large one, the Bruins are back on their upwards climb through the polls.
UCLA men's basketball (19-5, 11-4 Pac-12) moved up from No. 13 to No. 12 in the latest edition of the AP Poll on Monday. The Bruins did not receive a single first-place vote and totaled 802 points, whereas they earned 711 a week ago.
The polls from two weeks ago also had UCLA at No. 12, so this is a return to where the team was at prior to their crosstown rivalry loss to USC. The week before that, though, the Bruins were No. 3, so they still have yet to re-enter the top 10 they were so familiar with through the first three months of the season.
UCLA picked up wins over Washington and Washington State on Thursday and Saturday, respectively, and they have a chance to avenge their loss to Arizona State from a few weeks ago when they match up with the Sun Devils on Monday. A 3-3 record since Feb. 1 has held the Bruins back in the Pac-12 standings, though, and knocked them from a contender for a No. 1 seed to a projected No. 4 seed in March Madness.
Gonzaga held into the No. 1 spot in the Bulldogs’ third separate stint atop the polls. Auburn lost and fell from No. 2 to No. 3 as a result, opening the door for a familiar foe to enter the top 2.
Around the Pac-12, Arizona moved up from No. 3 to No. 2 after making it through another weekend unscathed. That means UCLA has picked up losses to both of the top-two teams in the nation, in addition to their win over the Wildcats last month.
USC, meanwhile, moved from No. 17 to 16, still positioning them behind the same Bruin team they bested last weekend. Arizona, UCLA and USC remain the only teams in the conference in the top 25, and no others even received votes.
The three are the only projected tournament teams out of the Pac-12, too, although Oregon is still trying to make a push as a bubble team.
The full AP poll is as follows, complete with records and first-place votes:
1. Gonzaga, 23-2 (61 first-place votes)
2. Arizona, 24-2
3. Auburn, 24-3
4. Purdue, 24-4
5. Kansas, 22-4
6. Kentucky, 22-5
7. Duke, 23-4
8. Villanova, 21-6
9. Texas Tech, 21-6
10. Baylor, 22-5
11. Providence, 22-3
12. UCLA, 19-5
13. Wisconsin, 21-5
14. Houston, 22-4
15. Illinois, 19-7
16. USC, 23-4
17. Tennessee, 19-7
18. Arkansas, 21-6
19. Murray State, 26-2
20. Texas, 19-8
21. UConn, 19-7
22. Ohio State, 16-7
23. St. Mary’s, 22-6
24. Alabama, 17-10
25. Iowa, 18-8
Others receiving votes: Michigan State 58, Rutgers 35, Wyoming 24, Boise State 22, Davidson 19, San Diego State 14, South Dakota State 13, LSU 13, Marquette 12, Wake Forest 11, Colorado State 10, Belmont 5, Notre Dame 4, SMU 3, Xavier 2, North Texas 2, Creighton 1, Vermont 1, Wagner 1
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