They’re still not officially ranked, but the Arizona State men’s basketball team is knocking on the door.
After an impressive 8-1 start to the season, the Sun Devils received 143 votes in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, putting them at No. 27 in the country. They are currently No. 34 in the NCAA Net Rankings and No. 50 in KenPom’s ratings.
After Kansas lost twice last week, Tennessee moved up to No. 1 in the poll for the first time since 2019. Iowa State is now the highest-ranked Big 12 team at No. 3, while Kansas dropped to No. 10.
No. 15 Houston and No. 22 Cincinnati are the other Big 12 teams in the poll. Baylor received 150 votes and is No. 26, while West Virginia received 30 votes and is No. 41.
The Sun Devils play their biggest game in recent memory this weekend as they travel to Atlanta to play No. 13 Florida (9-0) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MST. Not only is it a big game for Arizona State, but it’s also huge for the Big 12.
After starting the season with five teams in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 Poll, the Big 12 now has only two teams in the top 10 and just four in the top 25. The conference had a tough week, going 14-9 with only one victory over a ranked team — Iowa State’s 81-70 win over Marquette.
The Big 12 has been dominated by the SEC, going 2-12 through the first month of the season. The only wins were by UCF (64-61 over Texas A&M on opening night) and Baylor (72-67 over Arkansas on Nov. 9).
The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee will look closely at that record when it comes time to pick and seed the field of 68. A neutral-court win by the Sun Devils on Saturday could get the Big 12 back on track.
Here’s the latest AP Top 25 Poll:
College Basketball AP Top 25 Poll
Dec. 9, 2024
1. Tennessee
2. Auburn
3. Iowa State
4. Duke
5. Kentucky
6. Marquette
7. Alabama
8. Gonzaga
9. Florida
10. Kansas
11. Purdue
12. Oregon
13. Oklahoma
14. Michigan
15. Houston
16. Clemson
17. Texas A&M
18. UConn
19. Ole Miss
20. Wisconsin
21. Michigan State
22. Cincinnati
23. San Diego State
24. UCLA
25. Mississippi State
Others receiving votes: Baylor 150, Arizona State143, Memphis 123, Missouri 119, Penn State 90, Arkansas 89, Drake 67, Pittsburgh 62, Utah State 57, Illinois 47, St. John’s 43, Maryland 39, Dayton 38, Creighton 32, Indiana 30, West Virginia 30, North Carolina 24, Georgia 21, Saint Mary’s 20, Texas 8, Rhode Island 3, Loyola Chicago 1.
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