AP Top 25 Poll: Arizona surprisingly among top teams in updated college basketball rankings

The Wildcats continue to benefit from playing in the incredibly deep Big 12

Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) and Arizona Wildcats guard KJ Lewis (5) battle for a loose ball during the second half of their Big 12 men’s basketball showdown at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday March 1, 2025 in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite losing four of their last six games, the Arizona Wildcats (19-9, 13-5) are still ranked among the top college basketball teams in the country.

In the latest AP Top 25 Poll, released Monday, the Wildcats are ranked No. 24 in the nation. They received 162 votes, well ahead of No. 25 Mississippi State with 87 votes.

Arizona is one of five Big 12 teams in the AP Top 25, joining No. 3 Houston, No. 9 Texas Tech, No. 10 Iowa State and No. 23 BYU.

Arizona is ranked No. 10 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings, which are the only rankings that truly matter. The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee uses the NET as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats are currently projected to be a No. 4 or No. 5 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The biggest reason for their high ranking in the NET is their strength of schedule — the Wildcats have played the seventh-toughest schedule in college basketball, according to KenPom.

Arizona has a big week ahead with Arizona State at home and Kansas on the road to finish Big 12 play. The Wildcats are hoping to secure a top-four seed in the Big 12 Tournament, which comes with a double bye into the quarterfinals.

Here's the latest men's basketball Associated Press Top 25 Poll:

AP Top 25 Poll

March 3, 2025

1. Auburn (61)
2. Duke
3. Houston
4. Tennessee
5. Florida
6. St. John's
7. Alabama
8. Michigan State
9. Texas Tech
10. Iowa State
11. Clemson
12. Wisconsin
13. Maryland
14. Louisville
15. Missouri
16. Memphis
17. Michigan
18. Purdue
19. Kentucky
20. Marquette
21. Saint Mary's
22. Texas A&M
23. BYU
24. Arizona
25. Mississippi State

Also receiving votes: VCU 85, Vanderbilt 78, Oregon 37, Drake 18, UC San Diego 17, Illinois 16, Mississippi 13, UCLA 8, Gonzaga 8, Kansas 5, High Point 4, UConn 4, New Mexico 2, Creighton 2, Akron 1.

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