Men's Basketball AP Poll: UCLA Jumps Into Top 15 After Perfect Week

It may not have been as big of a leap as their pair of high-profile victories would have suggested, but the Bruins are still steadily climbing their way through the rankings.

UCLA men's basketball (10-2) went from No. 16 up to No. 13 in the latest edition of the AP Poll on Monday. The Bruins earned 871 points – up from 606 points from a week ago – and thus reached their highest ranking since the Nov. 14 poll.

It was a decisive week for UCLA, with the team facing two ranked opponents away from Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins opened the East Coast road trip with a blowout win at then-No. 20 Maryland on Wednesday, then followed that up with a big win over then-No. 13 Kentucky on Saturday.

UCLA went from No. 14 to No. 5 in the NET Rankings, and they currently stand at No. 3 in the KenPom and No. 2 in the BARTHAG.

There was plenty of change toward the top of the AP Poll, but Purdue remained at No. 1. UConn went from No. 3 to No. 2 with a solid handful of first-place votes, while Houston and Kansas climbed back into the top four alongside them.

Virginia, Tennessee and Alabama were the week's biggest fallers, but they all remained inside the top 10.

Arizona is still the Pac-12's highest-ranked team at No. 5, moving up four spots after defeating the Volunteers. It was the Wildcats' second-straight week with a ranked win, and they kept some distance between themselves and the Bruins in the process.

UCLA will wrap up nonconference play against UC Davis on Wednesday, and there is not another ranked opponent on their schedule until they face Arizona State and Arizona on the road on Jan. 19 and Jan. 21, respectively.

The full AP Poll is listed below:

1. Purdue (11-0), 1502 points (40 first-place votes)
2. UConn (8-0), 1482 (21)
3. Houston (11-0), 1374
4. Kansas (10-1), 1290
5. Arizona (10-1), 1269
6. Virginia (8-1), 1195
7. Texas (9-1), 1064
8. Tennessee (9-2), 1024
9. Alabama (9-2), 1021
10. Arkansas (10-1), 1004
11. Gonzaga (9-3), 895
12. Baylor (7-2), 873
13. UCLA (10-2), 871
14. Duke (10-2), 819
15. Mississippi State (11-0), 623
16. Illinois (8-3), 528
17. Wisconsin (9-2), 432
18. Indiana (8-3), 408
19. Kentucky (7-3), 370
20. TCU (9-1), 358
21. Virginia Tech (11-1), 297
22. Miami (FL) (11-1), 208
23. Auburn (9-2), 118
24. Marquette (9-3), 116
25. Arizona State (11-1), 98

Others Receiving Votes: Maryland 78, West Virginia 74, Xavier 71, Charleston 68, New Mexico 64, Memphis 59, North Carolina 36, Ohio State 33, Iowa State 26, Iowa 21, San Diego State 16, Utah State 10, Texas Tech 10, Michigan State 7, USC 7, Kansas State 5, Saint Mary's 1

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