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College basketball rankings: Arizona steady in NCAA bracket, not polls

Florida and Wichita State are still atop the rankings.

By Kevin Zimmerman

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Steve Dykes

Arizona's loss to Oregon revealed weaknesses we already knew were there, and as expected, the Wildcats took a minor hit in the NCAA polls. A 29-2 Florida squad and historic 34-0 Wichita State team remained the 1-2 punch, but even though the Shockers and Gators are cleaning up in their respective conferences, Sean Miller's team is still in solid shape.

The Wildcats fell behind Villanova to No. 4 in both the Associated Press and USA Today rankings, but the wide belief among bracket-builders is that UA could still earn a No. 1 seed. Of course, sweeping through the Pac-12 Tournament would be the best bet to earn that position and contend for the top overall seed.

Still, it's a good sign that Arizona's nonconference schedule is still keeping its resume strong.

SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean, ESPN's Joe Lunardi and USA Today all place the Wildcats in the West Regional that would start in San Diego and move to Anaheim. CBS Sports' Jerry Palm even considers the Wildcats the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

How the Wildcats do with Utah or Washington and thereafter will have a lot of stock into securing a No. 1, favorable regional placement and even a No. 1 overall seed. And that's especially the case if Florida falls -- Wichita State won the Missouri Valley Conference on Sunday.

The loss to the Ducks on Saturday perhaps will spark a fire that leads Arizona through a Pac-12 tournament where any opponent UA faces will already be playing for its postseason life. Rankings mean little for the Wildcats now, but here they are anyway.

AP Top 25 Poll

Rank Team Record Votes Prev
1 Florida Gators (50) 29-2 1610 1
2 Wichita St. Shockers (15) 34-0 1574 2
3 Villanova Wildcats 28-3 1454 6
4 Arizona Wildcats 28-3 1435 3
5 Louisville Cardinals 26-5 1237 11
6 Virginia Cavaliers 25-6 1186 5
7 Duke Blue Devils 24-7 1185 4
8 Michigan Wolverines 23-7 1143 12
8 San Diego St. Aztecs 27-3 1143 10
10 Kansas Jayhawks 23-8 1087 8
11 Syracuse Orange 27-4 1055 7
12 Wisconsin Badgers 25-6 973 9
13 Cincinnati Bearcats 26-5 922 15
14 Creighton Bluejays 24-6 752 13
15 North Carolina Tar Heels 23-8 709 14
16 Iowa St. Cyclones 23-7 572 16
17 Oklahoma Sooners 23-8 472 23
18 Saint Louis Billikens 26-5 433 17
19 Memphis Tigers 23-8 367 20
20 New Mexico Lobos 24-6 344 21
21 Connecticut Huskies 24-7 330 19
22 Michigan St. Spartans 23-8 318 22
23 Va. Commonwealth Rams 24-7 205 27
24 Ohio St. Buckeyes 23-8 165 33
25 SMU Mustangs 23-8 152 18

Others Receiving Votes: Gonzaga 82, Stephen F. Austin 56, Oregon 39, Texas 31, Harvard 27, Kentucky 19, Baylor 18, UCLA 14, Nebraska 8, Iowa 4, Tennessee 2, George Washington 1, North Carolina Central 1

USA Today Coaches Poll

USA Today Coaches Poll
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Florida (25) 29-2 793
2 Wichita State (7) 34-0 775
3 Villanova 28-3 721
4 Arizona 28-3 678
5 Louisville 26-5 654
6 Duke 24-7 591
7 San Diego State 27-3 584
8 Virginia 25-6 581
9 Michigan 23-7 536
10 Kansas 23-8 509
11 Syracuse 27-4 497
12 Cincinnati 26-5 447
13 Wisconsin 25-6 440
14 Creighton 24-6 384
15 North Carolina 23-8 350
16 Iowa State 23-7 269
17 Saint Louis 26-5 252
18 Oklahoma 23-8 221
19 Memphis 23-8 195
20 New Mexico 24-6 177
21 Connecticut 24-7 152
22 Michigan State 23-8 129
23 Southern Methodist 23-8 94
24 Ohio State 23-8 84
25 Virginia Commonwealth 24-7 71
  • Others receiving votes: Kentucky 43, Gonzaga 32, Texas 27, Oregon 21, Southern Miss 21, Stephen F. Austin 17, Baylor 15, Iowa 10, Harvard 8, Massachusetts 8, Nebraska 5, Pittsburgh 3, Louisiana Tech 3, Kansas State 1, George Washington 1, Oklahoma State 1
  • Dropped from rankings: Kentucky 24, Iowa 25

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