Men’s Basketball AP Poll: UCLA, USC Stumble After Upsets in Wild Week

A home split wasn’t enough for the Bruins to stay put, but the chaos across the country cost other teams as well.

After going nearly two months without a hiccup, the Bruins are sliding once again.

UCLA men's basketball (11-2, 3-1 Pac-12) fell from No. 3 to No. 9 in the latest edition of the AP Poll on Monday. The Bruins did not receive a single first-place vote and totaled 1,041 points. The latest USA Today Coaches Poll, meanwhile, has yet to come out.

This is the lowest UCLA has been in the polls all season, with the previous low point being No. 6.

After returning from their 26-day COVID-19 hiatus to beat Long Beach State and Cal last week, the Bruins had to face off against the Oregon schools at home with no fans with week. The matchup against the Ducks ended in an upset 84-81 overtime loss, while the contests versus the Beavers led to a comfortable 81-65 victory.

The last two remaining undefeated teams in the nation – top-ranked Baylor and crosstown rival USC – both lose created a lot of reshuffling at the top. A week ago, the No. 2 and No. 3 teams lost, while this week, the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 teams lost.

That makes Gonzaga the new No. 1 team in the country, a position they held for almost the whole first month of the season, although Auburn received more first-place votes.

Around the Pac-12, Arizona moved up from No. 6 to No. 3, making this the first time the Bruins are not the highest-ranked team in the conference all year. USC dropped from No. 5 to No. 16 after losing to both Stanford and Oregon, breaking the Pac-12’s streak of boasting three top-10 teams. The Bruins, Trojans and Wildcats remain the only teams in the conference in the top 25, and Oregon finally broke back into the receiving votes section with 15 points.

The full AP poll is as follows, complete with records and first-place votes:

1. Gonzaga, 14-2 (25 first-place votes)
2. Auburn, 16-1 (36 first-place votes)
3. Arizona, 14-1
4. Purdue, 14-2
5. Baylor, 15-2
6. Duke 14-2
7. Kansas, 14-2
8. Wisconsin, 14-2
9. UCLA, 11-2
10. Houston, 15-2
11. Villanova, 13-4
12. Kentucky, 14-3
13. LSU, 15-2
14. Michigan State, 14-3
15. Iowa State, 14-3
16. USC, 14-2
17. Illinois, 13-3
18. Texas Tech, 13-4
19. Ohio State, 11-4
20. Xavier, 13-3
21. Providence, 14-2
22. Loyola Chicago, 13-2
23. Texas, 13-4
24. Tennessee, 11-5
25. UConn, 11-4

Others receiving votes: Iowa 56, BYU 50, Davidson 34, Alabama 26, San Diego State 25, Miami (FL) 21, Oregon 15, West Virginia 14, Colorado State 13, Texas A&M 10, Oklahoma 7, TCU 4, Indiana 2, North Carolina 2

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