Arizona women’s basketball stays at No. 4 in AP Top 25

After a week of light play due to the holidays, there was little movement in the Associated Press Top 25. Arizona women’s basketball, which hasn’t played a game since Dec. 17, held steady at No. 4. The Wildcats are one of just two Pac-12 teams in the rankings.

Arizona did not plan to play any games last week. The last game on the Wildcats’ schedule was the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge game against Texas that was set to be played on Dec. 19. That game was canceled on the 18th due to COVID-19 protocols within the Arizona program.

The Wildcats are next scheduled to play at USC on Dec. 31. Arizona will have to emerge from COVID-19 protocols in order for that game to be held. The game at UCLA that was scheduled for Jan. 2 has already been postponed by the Bruins due to problems with the virus within their program.

Stanford, which also held its previous position in the poll, is the only other ranked team in the Pac-12. The Cardinal lost a close game at No. 1 South Carolina on Tuesday, Dec. 21. They remain No. 2 in this week’s poll.

The only other team in the conference that is currently receiving votes is Colorado, which is garnering enough votes to land two spots outside the Top 25. The Buffaloes are 11-0, but have yet to be challenged in nonconference play.

The NET is more impressed by the Pac-12 than the human voters are. The conference has five teams in the top 30, which qualify as quad one opponents whether played at home, on the road, or on a neutral court. The top teams according to the NCAA’s tool are Stanford (5), Arizona (8), Oregon (18), Utah (22), and Colorado (30).

Arizona State stands in the top 50 at No. 41, while UCLA (63), Oregon State (65), USC (70), and Washington State (72) are within the top 75. Teams ranked 31-50 are Q1 opponents if played on the road or on neutral courts, while 51-75 are Q1 only if played on the road.

Although NET rankings change over the course of the season, USC currently provides Arizona another possible Q1 win if the game can be played on Friday. The Wildcats are currently 2-0 in Q1 games with neutral-court wins over No. 6 Louisville and No. 45 DePaul.