Arizona State climbs to No. 3 in latest poll
Arizona State was picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12. Now the Sun Devils are one of college basketball’s biggest surprises, inching toward the program’s first No. 1 ranking.
Arizona State moved up two spots to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 released Monday, leapfrogging preseason No. 1 Duke after Wichita State dropped out of the top 10.
Villanova was No. 1 for the second straight week, receiving 45 of 65 firstplace votes from a media panel. Michigan State stayed at No. 2 and received 15 firstplace votes, with Arizona State getting the final five first-place votes to match its highest ranking as a program.
No. 5 North Carolina, Miami, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Xavier and West Virginia rounded out the top 10.
Arizona State had been No. 5, right behind Duke, but moved past the Blue Devils after rallying to beat Vanderbilt on Sunday. The Sun Devils are 10-0 and one of the most exciting teams to watch in college basketball, led by four freewheeling guards.
Arizona State rallied from a 13-0 hole to beat Vanderbilt 76-64 on Sunday, following a program-defining win at Kansas last week.
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At Tucson, Ariz., Findlay Prep product Allonzo Trier scored 15 points for the Wildcats (9-3) before leaving with a left knee injury.
The preseason All-america guard, who has averaged 22.3 points per game this season, inadvertently banged knees with Bison guard Paul Miller. Trier spent the second half holding an ice pack on the injury, which coach Sean Miller said he believes merely is a bruise.
“Hopefully we get some good news,” the coach said.
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At East Lansing, Mich., Miles Bridges matched his career high with 33 points for the Spartans (111), who set a program record with 16 blocked shots while routing the Huskies (4-8) for their 10th straight win.
No. 18 Arizona 83, North Dakota State 53 — No. 2 Michigan State 107, Houston Baptist 62 —