Arizona men’s basketball stays at No. 5 in Associated Press Top 25

Arizona was lucky to sneak out of Tempe on New Year’s Eve with a win over rival Arizona State after nearly blowing a 17-point lead. But despite that win, as well as a contribution from a former coach, the Wildcats weren't able to move up in the national rankings.

The UA remains at No. 5 in the latest Associated Press Top 25. It's the third straight week the Wildcats are fifth overall.

Arizona (13-1, 2-1 Pac-12) knocked off ASU 69-60 on Saturday, doing so not long after former Wildcats coach Sean Miller piloted Xavier to an upset victory over then-No. 2 UConn (14-1). That was the first loss for the Huskies, which slipped to No. 4, while Xavier (12-3) moved from 22nd to 18th.

UConn has 1,342 vote points, while Arizona has 1,334.

UCLA is the only other ranked Pac-12 school, coming in at No. 10. The Bruins (13-2, 4-0) have won 10 in a row and just pulled off a road sweep of the Washington schools, whom Arizona hosts this weekend.

The Wildcats have won 27 in a row at McKale Center, while Thursday’s opponent Washington (9-6, 1-3) has lost six straight road games. Saturday’s foe Washington State (6-9, 1-3) is 0-4 on the road this season.