Men's Basketball AP Poll: UCLA Climbs Again Ahead of Ranked Matchups

With some of the season's biggest games right around the corner, the Bruins continued to ride their momentum through the rankings.

UCLA men's basketball (8-2) went from No. 19 up to No. 16 in the latest edition of the AP Poll on Monday. The Bruins earned 606 points – up from 479 points from a week ago – and thus reached their highest ranking since the Nov. 14 poll.

It was a relatively quiet week for UCLA, with the team only playing one game due to final exams. The Bruins struggled at times in the first half, but ultimately beat Denver 87-64 at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.

UCLA stayed put at No. 14 in the NET Rankings after debuting there on Dec. 5, and they currently stand at No. 8 in the KenPom and No. 5 in the BARTHAG.

There was plenty of change at the top of the AP Poll, with Alabama's win over then-No. 1 Houston sparking several major shifts. The Crimson Tide went to No. 4, while the Cougars fell to No. 5.

Purdue took over at No. 1 for the first time this season, while Virginia moved up to No. 2 and UConn went to No. 3.

Arizona is still the Pac-12's highest-ranked team at No. 9, moving up one spot from last week. The Wildcats made up for their upset loss to Utah last week with a double-digit win over No. 14 Indiana.

UCLA has two games on the slate this week, and both are against ranked teams.

Maryland's undefeated season came to a close with a pair of tight losses to Wisconsin and No. 6 Tennessee, bumping them from No. 13 to No. 20. The Bruins and Terrapins will face off in College Park on Wednesday.

On Saturday, UCLA will face Kentucky on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Wildcats climbed from No. 16 to No. 13, with their only game being a 10-point win over Yale at home.

The full AP Poll is listed below:

1. Purdue (10-0), 1508 points (27 first-place votes)
2. Virginia (8-0), 1476 (19)
3. UConn (11-0), 1466 (15)
4. Alabama (8-1), 1326
5. Houston (9-1), 1224
6. Tennessee (9-1), 1189 (1)
7. Texas (7-1), 1173
8. Kansas (9-1), 1165
9. Arizona (8-1), 1096
10. Arkansas (9-1), 1029
11. Baylor (7-2), 881
12. Duke (10-2), 840
13. Kentucky (7-2), 688
14. Indiana (8-2), 622
15. Gonzaga (7-3), 621
16. UCLA (8-2), 606
17. Mississippi State (9-0), 497
18. Illinois (7-3), 517
19. Auburn (8-1), 453
20. Maryland (8-2), 414
21. TCU (8-1), 270
22. Wisconsin (8-2), 255
23. Ohio State (7-2), 187
24. Virginia Tech (10-1), 109
25. Miami (FL) (10-1), 100

Others Receiving Votes: Memphis 74, Charleston 64, Marquette 39, Iowa State 39, Arizona State 39, UNLV 27, Xavier 26, Iowa 25, West Virginia 20, Saint Mary's 15, Texas Tech 14, San Diego State 14, New Mexico 12, Utah 12, Creighton 11, Michigan State 5, Mississippi Valley State 4, Utah State 4, Kansas State 2

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