Men's basketball rankings: Gonzaga climbs to No. 7 in latest AP Top 25 poll (12/4/2023)
The calendar says December, but there were shades of March across the college basketball world over the last seven days. With upsets taking place across the nation, no team in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll was in the same spot it was a week ago. Half of the previous teams in the top 10 all suffered defeat, paving the way for an entirely different poll with a new No. 1.
Tommy Lloyd's Arizona Wildcats (7-0) claimed the top spot for the first time in nine years, making it the third different program to sit at No. 1 this season. Arizona received 59 of 63 first-place votes, putting them over No. 2 Kansas which rose three spots with a win over UConn on Friday. The previous No. 1 team, Purdue, dropped to No. 4 after losing to Northwestern.
With chaos in the upper tier of the poll, Gonzaga managed to slide into No. 7 for the program's first appearance in the top this season. The Zags (6-1) picked up an 89-76 win over USC on Saturday in the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational. Six players finished in double-figures for scoring for the second straight game, as freshman Dusty Stromer had a season-high 15 points, as did Ryan Nembhard.
Elsewhere, it was an eventful stretch for Gonzaga's future opponents. While UConn dropped to No. 5, Kentucky tumbled four spots to No. 16 following its 80-73 loss at home to UNC Wilmington. The Wildcats shot well below their standard from deep and scored 20 points fewer than their season average was heading into the matchup.
No. 25 San Diego State reentered the top 25 after escaping with a one-point win over UC San Diego on Friday. The Aztecs (7-1) won at the buzzer courtesy of Jaedon Lee, who scored on a missed 3-pointer from Lamont Butler to give the program its sixth consecutive victory. San Diego State, which comes to Spokane on Dec. 29, also has wins over Saint Mary's and Washington.
No. 9 North Carolina had the biggest jump of any team, as the Tar Heels (7-1) leaped eight spots courtesy of home wins over Tennessee and Florida State. The Tar Heels, who led by 23 points at one point, defeated the Vols 100-92 at the Dean Smith Center. Tennessee (4-3) dropped to No. 17, with its three losses coming against previous No. 1s Purdue and Kansas, followed by the defeat to North Carolina.
ACC rival Duke suffered the biggest drop in the poll, going from No. 7 down to No. 22 following back-to-back losses to unranked Arkansas and Georgia Tech.
Here's the complete AP Top 25:
1. Arizona (7-0)
2. Kansas (7-1)
3. Houston (8-0)
4. Purdue (7-1)
5. UConn (7-1)
6. Baylor (8-0)
7. Gonzaga (6-1)
8. Marquette (6-2)
9. North Carolina (7-1)
10. Creighton (7-1)
11. Florida Atlantic (7-1)
12. Texas (6-1)
13. Colorado State (8-0)
14. BYU (7-0)
15. Miami (FL) (6-1)
16. Kentucky (6-2)
17. Tennessee (4-3)
18. James Madison (8-0)
19. Oklahoma (7-0)
20. Illinois (6-1)
21. Texas A&M (6-2)
22. Duke (5-3)
23. Wisconsin (6-2)
24. Clemson (7-0)
25. San Diego State (7-1)
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:
Virginia 148, Ohio St. 122, TCU 87, Northwestern 77, Alabama 50, Michigan St. 46, Princeton 35, UCLA 23, Cincinnati 21, Mississippi 15, Arkansas 14, Providence 13, South Carolina 9, Villanova 8, Colorado 5, Memphis 5, Nevada 4, Georgia Tech 2.
