The latest Associated Press Top 25 poll has Arizona at No. 1 in men’s basketball

TUCSON — For the 1st time in 10 seasons (2013-14) the Arizona Wildcats are the top ranked team in the Associated Press Men’s Basketball Top 25 poll.

UA (7-0) ascended to the No. 1 spot on Monday thanks to an 82-55 victory this past Saturday over Colgate that kept the Wildcats unbeaten on the season and an upset loss by previous top ranked Purdue on the road at Northwestern in Boilermakers’ Big-10 opener.

It’s the 1st time in ten seasons (2013-14) that Arizona has been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll.

Sean Miller was the head coach of that team which started the season 21-0 and spent eight weeks in the top spot before being derailed by California.

The 2013-14 team lost in the Elite Eight to the same Wisconsin Badgers program that UA will host Saturday at McKale Center in their first game as the No. 1 team in the country.

The Badgers in fact kept Arizona from the Final Four two straight years (2014 & 2015) during that Era.

This current squad under head coach Tommy Lloyd has six players averaging double-figures scoring led by Caleb Love, Keshad Johnson and Kylan Boswell, all at 13 points per game.

Wisconsin arrives in Tucson with their first ranking of the season at No. 23. The Wildcats will face the ranked Badgers this month followed by No. 4 Purdue (December 16), Alabama (December 20) and No. 11 Florida Atlantic (December 23) before Christmas.

The Crimson Tide (5-2) began the season as a ranked team but have lost two of their last three to slide out of the Top 25.

Tipoff on Saturday at McKale Center is 1:15 p.m.

You can hear the game on Wildcats Radio 1290 or download the Varsity Network app to stream. Coverage begins at 9 a.m. with the Meridian Wealth Management Countdown to Tipoff Show hosted by David Kelly, featuring UA Basketball guard Kelvin Eafon (’98) and J.W. Madden.

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