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Arizona Jumps Back to No. 1 in AP Poll
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By JIM O'CONNELL, AP Basketball Writer
Arizona jumped back to No. 1 in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll Monday after a four-week hiatus, while Creighton joined the Top 10 for the first time in school history.
The Wildcats (13-1) led poll in the preseason and for the first five weeks of the regular season, until a loss to LSU. Now Arizona moves up from No. 2 to replace Duke (12-1), which slid two places to third after being defeated by Maryland.
Pittsburgh (14-1) went up a slot to No. 2 after ending Syracuse's 11-game winning streak Saturday.
Creighton (15-1) rose from 13th to 10th after victories last week over Evansville and Southern Illinois. The Bluejays' only loss was to then-No. 19 Xavier.
"It's a nice honor for our players and fans but hopefully we can keep improving," Creighton coach Dana Altman said. "The season is only halfway completed, and while we appreciate the recognition, we need to keep getting better every time we take the floor."
Louisville (12-1) beat East Carolina and Texas Christian last week and jumped from No. 15 to No. 9, the Cardinals' first Top 10 appearance since they were ninth on Jan. 27, 1996. Louisville's only loss this season was at Purdue.
Texas remained fourth, and was followed by Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky.
Connecticut was 11th, and defending national champion Maryland 12th, followed by Oklahoma State, Indiana, Alabama, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Illinois, Georgia and Marquette.
The final five ranked teams were Missouri, Mississippi State, Oregon, Auburn and California. The last two were the week's only newcomers to the Top 25, replacing LSU and Syracuse.
Auburn (15-2) is ranked for the first time since the 1999-00 season, when the Tigers got as high as No. 2. They have won nine straight, the last a 77-68 victory over Alabama on Saturday.
California (12-2) has won six straight since losing to Kansas. The Bears, ranked for two weeks last season, won at Washington and Washington State last weekend.
LSU (12-3) dropped out from No. 23 after losing 67-57 to Mississippi on Saturday, while Syracuse (11-2) fell from 25th after its 73-60 loss at Pittsburgh. The Orangemen started last week with a 76-69 victory over then-No. 11 Missouri.
Kansas was No. 2 in the preseason poll and the first two polls of the regular season before losing to North Carolina, Florida and Oregon. The Jayhawks (13-3) dropped as low as 20th but have returned to the Top 10 thanks to a 10-game winning streak.
Alabama (12-3) fell out of the Top 10 for the first time this season. The Crimson Tide, No. 1 for two weeks before Duke took over the top spot, lost two of its last three games.
Oklahoma State (14-1) beat two ranked teams last week
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