Tennessee basketball slides in latest AP Poll

Tennessee fell on the road late Saturday night in Arizona, but they weren’t punished too badly for it. The Volunteers lost 75-70 to the Arizona Wildcats in a game that was neck and neck all night long.

As a result, Tennessee slipped to No. 8 in the latest AP poll this week, while Arizona jumped to No. 5.

Purdue kept the top spot, while UConn moved to No. 2. Houston hopped up to No. 3, followed by Kansas, which will likely end up being Tennessee’s best win of the season.

Virginia and Alabama each tumbled after taking losses. Gonzaga hopped up to No. 11 after their win over Alabama, and UCLA moved to No. 13 after beating Kentucky. Mississippi State, following an 11-0 start, entered the top 15.

Non-conference play will wind down here over the next week. Tennessee will finish up with Austin Peay before opening SEC play with Ole Miss.

Here’s the updated AP poll.

New AP Top 25

1. Purdue
2. UConn
3. Houston
4. Kansas
5. Arizona
6. Virginia
7. Texas
8. Tennessee
9. Alabama
10. Arkansas
11. Gonzaga
12. Baylor
13. UCLA
14. Duke
15. Mississippi State
16. Illinois
17. Wisconsin
18. Indiana
19. Kentucky
20. TCU
21. Virginia Tech
22. Miami
23. Auburn
24. Marquette
25. Arizona State