UCLA made a significant leap into the top ten of the men's AP Top 25 college basketball poll on Monday. This marked the first regular season release of the rankings for the new season. Meanwhile, Florida maintained its position as the number one team in the nation.
The Gators, who have started the season with victories over then number 14 Miami and Jacksonville, remained at the top of the rankings. They received 53 of the 60 available first-place votes from the national media panel. Duke secured the remaining seven first-place votes, while Illinois held steady at number three.
Connecticut finished fourth after defeating then number 16 Michigan on Friday night in a rematch of the NCAA championship game. Florida State serves as the next opponent for the Gators in a rivalry matchup. Florida head coach Todd Golden emphasized the challenge of playing away as the top team.
Golden stated that the team is entering enemy territory and expects a well-prepared opponent. He noted that the Gators must bring their best effort to compete against a motivated Florida State squad.
Michigan State completed the top five, replacing Arizona which had lost its season opener to the Bruins a week prior. The two former Pac-12 rivals met in Las Vegas, where the Bruins' Trent Perry scored 21 points. He helped UCLA overcome a career-best 38-point performance from Arizona's Ivan Kharchenkov.
Arizona narrowed the gap to a single point with 3 minutes and 11 seconds remaining, but the Bruins held on to win 84 to 75. This victory propelled UCLA from number 22 in the preseason poll to number 9, their highest ranking since the final poll of the 2022-23 season.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin described the win as massive, noting that Arizona typically averages close to 30 wins over the last three years. He acknowledged the strength of the opponent and the significance of the result.
Virginia climbed three spots to sixth place following a trio of wins last week, including a victory over then number 12 Arkansas. Texas and Houston followed in seventh and eighth, respectively. Louisville moved up one spot to finish the top ten at number 10.
Tennessee dropped three spots to number 11 after beating Wofford, while Arizona fell seven spots to number 12. Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd focused on the long term, stating that the ending of the season matters more than the start. He urged his team to remember the feeling of the loss as they face upcoming challenges.
The remainder of the top 15 included St. John's, Gonzaga, and Kansas. Texas Tech, Miami, and Alabama followed in the next three spots. Arkansas fell seven spots to number 18 after losing to Virginia, and Michigan dropped four spots to number 20 following its loss to UConn. USC, Vanderbilt, BYU, Kentucky, and Nebraska rounded out the top 25. Kentucky is one week away from becoming the first school in the nearly 78-year history of the AP poll to be ranked for 1,000 weeks.
