Men's Basketball AP Poll: Chaotic Week Bumps UCLA Up Several Spots

With 16 of last week’s top 25 teams losing at least one game, the Bruins pounced and climbed to No. 7.

In one of the most chaotic weeks of hoops in recent memories, the Bruins came out unscathed and continued their climb through the rankings as a result.

UCLA men's basketball (14-2, 5-0 Pac-12) went from No. 10 up to No. 7 in the latest edition of the AP Poll on Monday. The Bruins earned 1,108 points – up from 993 points from a week ago – taking a step forward for the sixth week in a row.

The bump came in large part due to the numerous upsets across the country, but UCLA still had to take care of business against crosstown rival USC to keep their momentum going. The Bruins blew an 18-point second-half lead to the Trojans, but a clutch 3-pointer by Jaylen Clark helped them evade the upset and extend their winning streak to 11 games.

UCLA currently ranks No. 7 in the NET Rankings, No. 4 in the KenPom and No. 4 in the BARTHAG.

Houston took back over at No. 1, since previous top-ranked Purdue lost to unranked Rutgers 65-64 in its first defeat of the season. The Boilermakers were far from the only ones who fell victim to an upset after the start of the New Year, though, considering the No. 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 24 teams all lost as well.

As a result, UCLA became the highest-ranked team in the Pac-12, with Arizona falling from No. 5 to No. 9 after losing to Washington State.

No other Pac-12 teams earned any votes, although Utah and Colorado – the Bruins’ next two opponents – are the next highest-ranked in the KenPom.

The next ranked team on the slate for UCLA is Arizona, with that contest scheduled to tip off in Tucson on Jan. 21.

The full AP Poll is listed below:

1. Houston (16-1), 1457 points (34 first-place votes)
2. Kansas (14-1), 1440 (22)
3. Purdue (15-1), 1386 (4)
4. Alabama (13-2), 1288
5. Tennessee (13-2), 1231
6. UConn (15-2), 1206
7. UCLA (14-2), 1108
8. Gonzaga (14-3), 1070
9. Arizona (14-2), 1049
10. Texas (13-2), 940
11. Kansas State (14-1), 818
12. Xavier (13-3), 793
13. Virginia (11-3), 712
14. Iowa State (12-2), 697
15. Arkansas (12-3), 613
16. Miami (FL) (13-2), 604
17. TCU (13-2), 553
18. Wisconsin (11-3), 448
19. Providence (14-3), 358
20. Missouri (13-2), 317
21. Auburn (12-3), 256
22. Charleston (16-1), 246
23. San Diego State (12-3), 222
24. Duke (12-4), 221
25. Marquette (13-4), 131

Others Receiving Votes: Baylor 93, Clemson 43, Florida Atlantic 33, Indiana 30, Michigan State 24, Saint Mary's 24, Northwestern 21, Rutgers 13, Illinois 13, Mississippi State 13, Ohio State 9, North Carolina State 4, Creighton 4, North Carolina 4, LSU 3, Pittsburgh 2, New Mexico 2, Nevada 1

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