Wildcats claim top spot in college hoops rankings
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Jaden Bradley and the Arizona Wildcats, seen here in a Nov. 14 win over UCLA, are the No. 1 team in the nation in this week's AP Poll. Photo: Harry How/Getty Images
The Arizona Wildcats are back on top of the college basketball rankings.
Driving the news: UofA ranks No. 1 in this week's Associated Press men's college basketball poll, out Monday.
Yes, but: It was far from unanimous, with red-hot Michigan getting 19 first-place votes to UofA's 33, as Duke (7) and Iowa State (1) collected some votes to be the new No. 1 in week six.
Zoom in: Previously ranked second, the Cats claimed the No. 1 spot after Purdue — which led the polls for the past few weeks — lost to Iowa State last Saturday.
- The Cats defeated a ranked Auburn team last weekend to stay unbeaten.
Flashback: The last time UofA reached No. 1 was during the 2023-24 season, when the Cats held the top spot for two weeks in December.
- Before that, they spent eight weeks at No. 1 in the 2013-14 season, per sports-reference.com.
- The only other times they've been ranked No. 1 this century came in the 2000-01 and 2002-03 seasons.
Catch up quick: UofA started the season at No. 13 and climbed the rankings after taking out some of the nation's top-ranked teams.
- Victories over Florida and Connecticut made the Cats only the third team in AP Poll history to beat two top-three teams in the first five games of the season.
Between the lines: This season's UofA team may have raised eyebrows with its blockbuster recruiting class, but senior Jaden Bradley is leading the charge while establishing himself as an elite point guard.
- Senior forward Tobe Awaka and junior center Motiejus Krivas have been critical for the Cats' frontcourt dominance.
- Yes, but: Freshmen forward Koa Peat, who came to UofA from Gilbert's Perry High School, and guard Brayden Burries have been key to the Cats' success this year, as well.
Meanwhile, ASU has defied offseason turnover and low expectations to start the season 7-2.
- The Sun Devils aren't ranked, but they got two votes in this week's AP poll.
What's next: UofA has another tough matchup when the Cats face No. 12 Alabama on Saturday.
- Then the Cats' schedule is fairly light through the end of the year.
- Things will get tougher in January when Big 12 play begins
The intrigue: Freshman guard Bryce James, son of NBA legend Lebron James, has yet to get playing time for the Cats this season, and head coach Tommy Lloyd has floated the possibility of redshirting him, which would require him to keep James off the court.