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The Arizona Wildcats fans chattering on Twitter about the Syracuse Orange might want to take a break for now. While Syracuse remained the No. 1 team with a 23-0 record in both polls, it was the Wildcats taking a hit in the rankings this week despite sweeping the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers.
While UA remains No. 2 in the Associated Press Poll, it fell to No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches rankings with the Wichita State Shockers leap-frogging the Wildcats with their 25-0 record.
New men's basketball #CoachesPoll is here! Full Top 25: http://t.co/T1xhQH7qwd pic.twitter.com/q1cpkz2PRc
— USA TODAY Sports (@USATODAYsports) February 10, 2014
Is it fair? Certainly, coaches realize how hard perfection is, even for a team playing in the Missouri Valley Conference. And no doubt, Wichita State is a good squad. A very similar Shockers team has taken last year's postseason run to the bank. Remember, Wichita State would have played Arizona had the Wildcats not fallen victim to Ohio State in the Sweet 16.
The Shockers went on to beat the Buckeyes in the Elite Eight round.
No matter the rankings, the Wildcats seem to be in decent shape for the time being. In the postseason, the margin for error is thin without Brandon Ashley, yet Arizona seems to have found the swagger heading into a dangerous game in Tempe on Valentine's Day. One game at a time, as the smart people say.
AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Pts | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Syracuse Orange (65) | 23-0 | 1625 | 1 |
| 2 | Arizona Wildcats | 23-1 | 1525 | 2 |
| 3 | Florida Gators | 21-2 | 1477 | 3 |
| 4 | Wichita St. Shockers | 25-0 | 1445 | 4 |
| 5 | San Diego St. Aztecs | 21-1 | 1373 | 5 |
| 6 | Villanova Wildcats | 21-2 | 1288 | 6 |
| 7 | Kansas Jayhawks | 18-5 | 1234 | 8 |
| 8 | Duke Blue Devils | 19-5 | 1130 | 11 |
| 9 | Michigan St. Spartans | 20-4 | 1025 | 9 |
| 10 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 22-3 | 970 | 7 |
| 11 | Iowa St. Cyclones | 18-4 | 925 | 16 |
| 12 | Saint Louis Billikens | 22-2 | 908 | 13 |
| 13 | Louisville Cardinals | 19-4 | 866 | 14 |
| 14 | Kentucky Wildcats | 18-5 | 769 | 18 |
| 15 | Michigan Wolverines | 17-6 | 702 | 10 |
| 16 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 18-6 | 686 | 17 |
| 17 | Virginia Cavaliers | 19-5 | 608 | 20 |
| 18 | Creighton Bluejays | 19-4 | 552 | 12 |
| 19 | Texas Longhorns | 18-5 | 417 | 15 |
| 20 | Memphis Tigers | 18-5 | 333 | 24 |
| 21 | Wisconsin Badgers | 19-5 | 242 | 26 |
| 22 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | 19-5 | 214 | 27 |
| 23 | SMU Mustangs | 19-5 | 205 | 29 |
| 24 | Connecticut Huskies | 18-5 | 194 | 22 |
| 25 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 20-4 | 175 | 25 |
USA Today Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Pts | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Syracuse Orange (32) | 23-0 | 800 | 1 |
| 2 | Wichita St. Shockers | 25-0 | 744 | 2 |
| 3 | Arizona Wildcats | 23-1 | 742 | 3 |
| 4 | Florida Gators | 21-2 | 711 | 4 |
| 5 | San Diego St. Aztecs | 21-1 | 675 | 5 |
| 6 | Villanova Wildcats | 21-2 | 629 | 6 |
| 7 | Kansas Jayhawks | 18-5 | 569 | 9 |
| 8 | Louisville Cardinals | 19-4 | 529 | 10 |
| 9 | Duke Blue Devils | 19-5 | 511 | 11 |
| 10 | Michigan St. Spartans | 20-4 | 479 | 8 |
| 11 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 22-3 | 467 | 7 |
| 12 | Saint Louis Billikens | 22-2 | 427 | 15 |
| 13 | Kentucky Wildcats | 18-5 | 403 | 14 |
| 14 | Iowa St. Cyclones | 18-4 | 369 | 17 |
| 15 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 18-6 | 333 | 13 |
| 16 | Virginia Cavaliers | 19-5 | 310 | 21 |
| 17 | Creighton Bluejays | 19-4 | 305 | 12 |
| 18 | Michigan Wolverines | 17-6 | 254 | 16 |
| 19 | Texas Longhorns | 18-5 | 170 | 18 |
| 20 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | 19-5 | 162 | 25 |
| 21 | Wisconsin Badgers | 19-5 | 158 | 24 |
| 22 | Memphis Tigers | 18-5 | 152 | NR |
| 23 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 20-4 | 148 | 22 |
| 24 | Gonzaga Bulldogs | 21-4 | 78 | 20 |
| 25 | Oklahoma Sooners | 18-6 | 55 | 23 |
