Men's Basketball AP Poll: UCLA Holds Onto Spot in Top 10
A clean start to the season has kept the Bruins safely in the national conversation.
UCLA men's basketball (2-0) remained at No. 8 in the latest edition of the AP Poll on Monday. The Bruins did not receive a single first-place vote, totaling 1,138 points – up from 1,093 a week ago.
Opening the year with a 76-50 win over Sacramento State and a 93-69 win over Long Beach State kept UCLA steadily in the top 10, but the road ahead is much rockier.
After playing the 2022 MEAC champions Norfolk State on Monday night, the Bruins will face Illinois – which rose from No. 23 to No. 19 in the newest polls – in Las Vegas on Friday. UCLA will then play either No. 5 Baylor or No. 16 Virginia on Sunday.
At the top of the polls, North Carolina, Gonzaga and Houston remained comfortably in the top three. Kentucky came in at No. 4, chipping away with three first-place votes.
The top 10 teams remained the same, although Baylor broke its tie with Kansas at No. 5 and Arkansas and Creighton swapped spots at No. 9 and No. 10.
The Pac-12 lost one ranked team, as Oregon fell from No. 21 into the receiving votes section after losing to UC Irvine by 13 points on Friday. Arizona, meanwhile, was one of the week's biggest risers, going from No. 17 to No. 14.
Colorado and Arizona State received votes as well, as the Buffaloes bounced back from their upset loss at the hands of Grambling State by beating then-No. 11 Tennessee in Nashville. The Sun Devils needed a last-second game-winner to beat Tarleton State on opening night, and then they lost to Texas Southern in overtime on the road on Sunday.
USC earned votes in the preseason poll, but after losing to Florida Gulf Coast on opening night, they were left off of every ballot one week into the season.
The full AP Poll is listed below:
1. North Carolina (2-0), 1543 points (44 first-place votes)
2. Gonzaga (2-0), 1497 (14)
3. Houston (2-0), 1439 (2)
4. Kentucky (2-0), 1394 (3)
5. Baylor (2-0), 1253
6. Kansas (2-0), 1218
7. Duke (2-0), 1216
8. UCLA (2-0), 1138
9. Arkansas (2-0), 1059
10. Creighton (2-0), 1036
11. Texas (2-0), 932
12. Indiana (2-0), 867
13. Auburn (2-0), 724
14. Arizona (2-0), 694
15. TCU (2-0), 630
16. Virginia (2-0), 590
17. San Diego State (2-0), 524
18. Alabama (2-0), 436
19. Illinois (2-0), 316
20. Michigan (2-0), 308
21. Dayton (2-0), 280
22. Tennessee (1-1), 264
23. Texas Tech (2-0), 190
24. Texas A&M (2-0), 131
25. UConn (2-0), 124
Others Receiving Votes: Michigan State 119, Purdue 104, Villanova 96, Miami (FL) 61, Saint Louis 47, Xavier 44, Ohio State 36, Oregon 36, Iowa 36, Memphis 20, Virginia Tech 13, Colorado 11, Arizona State 9, Toledo 8, Rutgers 8, Saint Mary's 7, Florida 5, UC Irvine 4, Grambling State 4, Seton Hall 3, Penn State 1
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