Arizona men’s basketball climbs in Associated Press Top 25

Arizona pulled off something it hadn’t done in 20 years last week, and the voters rewarded it for that feat.

The Wildcats (19-2, 9-1 Pac-12) is ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25, up three spots from a week agol. The jump came after beating then-No. 3 UCLA and then-No. 19 USC at McKale Center, marking the first time they’ve beaten a pair of Top 20 conference opponents in the same weekend since 2002.

Arizona leapfrogged two teams—Kentucky and Houston—that did not lose last week, while also moving ahead of UCLA, which fell to No. 12 after losing to the UA and in triple overtime at ASU.

The Pac-12 still has three ranked teams, with USC sitting at 21st. Other ranked teams the UA has played are No. 13 Illinois and No. 19 Tennessee, while Wyoming is just outside the Top 25.

Arizona begins a 3-game road swing Monday night when it visits ASU. The Wildcats will come back home after before heading out to play Thursday at Washington State (14-7, 7-3) and Saturday at Washington (12-9, 7-4).