Arizona Wildcats drop from top spot in national polls
Feb 3, 2014, 6:29 PM | Updated: 6:29 pm
Arizona’s run as the number one team in the nation has come to an end.
The Wildcats (21-1, 8-1) fell to number 2 in the Associated Press Poll and number 3 in the USA Today Coaches Poll after suffering their first loss of the season, 60-58 at California.
The top spot in both polls now belongs to undefeated Syracuse, who earned all 65 first place votes in the AP poll and all 32 in the Coaches poll. Fellow undefeated team Wichita State is second in the USA Today poll but third in the AP voting.
Arizona had been ranked number one for eight consecutive weeks.
Of course, the game wasn’t the most significant loss of the night for Arizona, as sophomore forward Brandon Ashley suffered a broken foot early in the first half and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Ashley is the team’s third-leading scorer with 11.5 points per game while also pulling down 5.8 rebounds per contest.
Up next for the Wildcats is a pair of home games against the Oregon schools, staring with the Ducks Thursday night at McKale Center.
