Arizona Basketball: Wildcats receiving votes for AP Top 25

The Arizona Basketball team is finally getting some well deserved attention, receiving votes for the AP Top 25 after a huge win on the road against UCONN.

After starting the season un-ranked, and picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12, the Arizona Basketball team is finally getting noticed by their surprising play. After knocking off UCONN on the road, the Wildcats received 12 votes in the latest AP Top 25 ranking.

That means media outlets such as ESPN, who are still anti-Arizona, even when they are winning voted for Arizona to be in the Top 25! ESPN announcer Seth Greenberg, mentioned during the Arizona vs UConn telecast that ASU is the best team in the Pac-12, not really giving any credit to Arizona. Still waiting for your apology, Seth!

Arizona Wildcats

Even after they won a hard fought game against UCONN on the road on ESPN, they still didn’t think Arizona was considered a force to be reckoned with in the Pac-12.

This season for the Wildcats has been all about proving doubters wrong, one game at a time. The Wildcats still have a couple tough non-conference games left, facing Alabama on the road and Baylor at home in the next few weeks. Should Arizona win both of those games, they will have a legitimate chance of getting back into the Top 25 just ahead of conference play.

The only Pac-12 team currently ranked in the Top 25 is the Arizona State Sun Devils, coming in at No. 20. They are 7-0 and have one win against a ranked team, Mississippi State. Last season the Devils headed to Tucson unbeaten and ranked No. 3, and ended up losing 84-78.

Their chances of that happening  again this season don’t look so good, as they still have No. 6 Nevada and No. 2 Kansas coming up.

For many years, Wildcat fans have been spoiled with the basketball team being consistently ranked in the Top 25. This season has been a bit of an adjustment for most, but has indirectly given this team a chip on their shoulder, making them a dangerous team. So dangerous in fact, that they were one less foul/technical foul away from giving Gonzaga all they could handle. Zags would then go on to beat Duke in Maui.

Besides receiving votes for the AP Top 25, the Wildcats are slowly becoming one of the surprise teams in the Pac-12 and in the country. Other top Pac-12 teams like Oregon are currently struggling, who fell out of the Top 25 with a lost to Houston. The other is UCLA iwho received votes outside the Top 25 with 3.

The Wildcats have what it takes to go far this season: they have the fight, the desire, the willingness to do whatever it takes. They also have team chemistry and good communication on both ends of the floor. All these factors combined, not only can this team get back into the Top 25, but they are playing with nothing to lose because no one expects them to win, which makes them a scary team come March!

At Zona Zealots, we know how good this team is and how good they can become. Stay buckled in Wildcat basketball fans, this season just got a whole lot more exciting. Bear Down, Arizona!