Arizona remained the unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll Monday while Michigan jumped over Connecticut and into second place after wins over previously unbeaten Nebraska and rival Michigan State. The Wildcats, who are off to a school-record 22-0 start, earned all 59 vote s from a national media panel to stay atop the poll for the eighth consecutive week. Michigan and UConn were followed by Duke and Illinois to round out the top five. “We value steadiness,” said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, whose team visits Oklahoma State on Saturday before a four-game grinder against Kansas, Texas Tech, BYU and Houston. “A lot of of people talk about momentum, momentum, momentum. I understand what momentum is, but I think there’s way more value in being steady and consistent.” If the Wildcats beat the Cowboys, they would set a school record with their 23rd consecutive win. This bunch is currently tied with Arizona teams from 1914-17 that won 22 in a row under its arena namesake, Pop McKale, over a three-year span. Gonzaga remained No. 6, while Iowa State and Houston climbed one spot apiece. The Cornhuskers fell four spots to No. 9 after losses to Michigan and Illinois, while the Spartans fell three spots to No. 10 after beating Rutgers and losing to the Wolverines. The losses by Nebraska left only Arizona and No. 23 Miami (Ohio) unbeaten in Division I men’s college basketball. “Obviously, back-to-back losses, we just have to look at the film and learn from it,” Huskers forward Pryce Sandfort said. “Keep our heads high and flush it as we get ready for Rutgers this week.” Kansas climbed three spots to No. 11 after its win over BYU on Saturday, while Purdue remained No. 12 and Texas Tech — which played the Jayhawks on Monday night — was No. 13. North Carolina and Vanderbilt rounded out the first 15. BYU, Florida, Virginia, Saint Louis and Clemson were next. The Billikens, who have won 15 consecutive games, have their highest ranking since March 10, 2014, when they were No. 18 the year they won the Atlantic 10 championship. Arkansas, St. John’s, Miami (Ohio), Louisville and Tennessee held down the final five spots in the Top 25. The RedHawks bumped up one from last week and are at their highest point since they were No. 22 on Nov. 30, 1998. “The further you go,” RedHawks coach Travis Steele said after a win over Northern Illinois on Saturday, “the harder it gets.” Rising and falling Illinois’ four-spot climb was the highest of the week after their second road win over a top-five team in nine days. Coach Brad Underwood’s Illini (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten) have won 11 straight games. Kansas, Vanderbilt and St. John’s climbed three spots apiece, while Tennessee — which was ranked as high as No. 13 this season — climbed back into the poll at No. 25 after two weeks out of it. The Volunteers returned at the expense of Alabama. The Crimson Tide had the fifth-longest active poll streak snapped at 42. Update on the NET The latest NET rankings released Sunday, which the NCAA uses to help select its tournament field, installed Duke at No. 1 with Arizona second and Michigan third. The rest of the rankings largely mirrored the AP poll with one notable exception: Miami (Ohio) was No. 53 in the NET rankings by virtue of a soft schedule that has produced no Quad 1 wins. Conference watch The Big 12 led with six teams in the Top 25, while the Big Ten and ACC had five apiece — though the Big Ten had four of its five in the top 10. The SEC had four ranked teams, the Big East two and the West Coast, Atlantic 10 and MAC one apiece. ...read more read less