Arizona jumped two spots to No. 5 in the updated Coaches Poll released Monday after recording statement wins over Arizona State and Oregon. The Wildcats could guarantee a share of the Pac-12 regular-season title by going 2-0 against UCLA and USC this week.
The Wildcats have won nine of their last 10 games — with the lone loss coming to Washington State — heading into the final week of the regular season. Washington State currently sits 0.5 games ahead of Arizona in the Pac-12 standings. Because WSU owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Arizona, it would earn the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament by winning its final game against Washington on Thursday.
Duke jumped two spots to No. 8 ahead of its marquee showdown against No. 7 North Carolina this weekend. The Blue Devils could clinch a share of the ACC regular-season title by winning their final two games against in-state rivals NC State and North Carolina. UNC would clinch at least a share of the conference title with a win over Notre Dame on Tuesday.
BYU re-entered the rankings after knocking off Kansas on the road and TCU at home last weekend. The Cougars are in their inaugural season as a member of the Big 12 and check in at No. 23 this week.
Illinois and Gonzaga made a substantial leap this week - jumping four spots each - to No. 12 and 18th, respectively. The Bulldogs are coming off a statement road win over Saint Mary's that puts them in prime position to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 25th consecutive season.
Coaches Poll
- Houston (28)
- UConn (3)
- Purdue (1)
- Tennessee
- Arizona
- Iowa State
- North Carolina
- Duke
- Marquette
- Creighton
- Baylor
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Auburn
- Kansas
- South Carolina
- Alabama
- Gonzaga
- San Diego State
- Washington State
- Saint Mary's
- Utah State
- BYU
- South Florida
- Florida
Others receiving votes: Dayton 31; Texas Tech 24; Nevada 24; Boise State 16; App State 13; James Madison 10; Oklahoma 8; Northwestern 7; Indiana State 5; Clemson 5; TCU 4; Wake Forest 3; Nebraska 1;