Purdue returns to No. 1 in men’s basketball poll after toppling Arizona

Purdue is back on top of the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll.

The Boilermakers, ranked fourth last week, vault back to No. 1 after taking down Arizona, the team that had held the No. 1 position for the last two weeks. With that result, Purdue now owns three top-10 victories, with earlier wins against No. 6 Marquette and No. 7 Tennessee in Hawaii.

Kansas, which held the No. 1 spot earlier in the season, is back up to No. 2, claiming three first-place votes. Houston, unbeaten but yet to face anyone else in the top five, slips to No. 3 despite picking up the remaining nine No. 1 nods. Arizona falls to No. 4, and defending champ Connecticut holds at No. 5.

Oklahoma climbs four places to No. 8, and Kentucky leaps six slots to No. 9 after staving off No. 13 North Carolina over the weekend. Baylor drops four spots after losing to Michigan State but remains in the top 10.

No. 23 Memphis is the lone newcomer to the poll this week as Miami (Fla.) drops out.