Men's Basketball AP Poll: UCLA Climbs Amid Duke, Purdue Losses

For the first time since Thanksgiving, the Bruins have broken into the top 3.

The Bruins officially made their return and proved to start right where they left off.

UCLA men's basketball (10-1) went from No. 5 to No. 3 in the latest edition of the AP Poll on Monday. The Bruins did not receive a single first-place vote and totaled 1,376 points. The latest USA Today Coaches Poll, meanwhile, has yet to come out.

This is the highest UCLA has been in the polls since it fell from the No. 2 spot following its loss to Gonzaga in November.

The Bruins finally got back on the court after a 26-day COVID-19-imposed break that led to six canceled games. UCLA opened up the second phase of its season with a second win over Long Beach State on Thursday, then the team picked up a road conference win over Cal on Saturday.

Baylor remains the undefeated, undisputed top team in the nation, but Purdue lost to Wisconsin on Jan. 3 and Duke lost to Miami (FL) on Saturday. Having the No. 2 and No. 3 teams lose in the same week ultimately created enough disarray at the top for UCLA to take a few steps up.

Around the Pac-12, Arizona moved up from No. 8 to No. 6, while USC remained undefeated and went from No. 7 to No. 5. The Conference of Champions, therefore, accounts for half of the top six, but the Bruins, Trojans and Wildcats remain the only Pac-12 teams even garnering votes.

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

1. Baylor, 15-0 (61 first-place votes)
2. Gonzaga, 12-2
3. UCLA, 10-1
4. Auburn, 14-1
5. USC, 13-0
6. Arizona, 12-1
7. Purdue, 13-2
8. Duke, 12-2
9. Kansas, 12-2
10. Michigan State, 13-2
11. Houston, 14-2
12. LSU, 14-1
13. Wisconsin, 13-2
14. Villanova, 11-4
15. Iowa State, 13-2
16. Ohio State, 10-3
17. Xavier, 12-2
18. Kentucky, 12-3
19. Texas Tech, 11-3
20. Seton Hall, 11-3
21. Texas, 12-3
22. Tennessee, 10-4
23. Providence, 14-2
24. Alabama, 11-4
25. Illinois, 11-3

Others receiving votes: Oklahoma 122, Loyola Chicago 96, Miami (FL) 65, West Virginia 20, Connecticut 17, Indiana 12, Colorado State 10, San Diego State 9, Davidson 5, BYU 2, Iowa 2, San Francisco 2

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