The ranks of the unbeaten continue to dwindle in men’s college basketball. Arizona, however, is still in that exclusive club and holds on to the No. 1 spot in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll.
The Wildcats maintained their hot start with a decisive home win against Wisconsin over the weekend. They received 28 of 32 first-place votes in this week’s balloting.
Kansas climbs back into the No. 2 spot. The Jayhawks finish five poll points ahead of No. 3 Houston, though the Cougars picked up three No. 1 nods to just one for Kansas. Purdue and Connecticut continue to round out the top five, with No. 6 Baylor and No. 7 Marquette also holding steady.
Creighton vaults back into the top 10, moving up three positions to NO. 8. North Carolina stays at No. 9, and Tennessee is back up to 10th after a solid win against No. 16 Illinois.
Clemson leaps from No. 20 to No. 11, its highest ranking since Feb. 9, 2009, when the Tigers briefly cracked the top 10. It’s not the week’s biggest move, however, as Oklahoma vaults 10 places to No. 12 just ahead of No. 13 Gonzaga.
Despite the loss at Arizona, Wisconsin moves into the poll at No. 23 on the strength of some earlier wins, notably against Marquette. Mississippi also moves in at No. 25, its first poll appearance since Jan. 21, 2019.
Texas A&M and Ohio State are the week’s dropouts.
