#arizona-wildcats

#arizona-wildcats

It took a truly unprecedented season from the SEC to dethrone the Big 12 as the top conference in college basketball in 2024-25. The SEC remains fabulous, but no longer historic, and now the Big 12 has a realistic shot to regain its crown in 2025-26. It doesn't hurt that two of the four projected No. 1 seeds as the calendar flips to a new year, Arizona and Iowa State, have raced to their lofty perch with a combined 26-0 record.

Kentucky dropped out of these Power Rankings back on Dec. 4, following a 5-3 start. A day later, the Wildcats lost by 35 points to Gonzaga in Nashville, and it looked like the wheels were falling off. Less than three weeks later, Mark Pope's team returns to the mix. Kentucky has won four straight games, all by double-figures, including 12-point victories over Indiana and St. John's.

The Wildcats received 33 of 60 first-place votes from a national media panel to claim No. 1 for the first time since Dec. 11, 2023, and only the third time since the 2013-14 season. They edged No. 2 Michigan, which earned 19 first-place votes, thanks in part to wins over Florida, UConn and UCLA, along with their 97-68 romp over the then-No. 20 Tigers on Saturday night.

It's getting a little late in the season, but teams haven't let up on trolling their opponents quite yet. Take the Arizona Wildcats, for example. Facing off against the No. 25 Cincinnati Bearcats, their Big 12 conference rivals, Arizona gutted out a nervy 30-24 win. The Wildcats went down 14-7 in the first quarter, but scored 20 points in the second half, pulling ahead for good on a 50-yard touchdown run by Kedrick Reescano.

To complement blue jerseys and white pants, the team will wear 1980s replica helmets for their Friday night game against the Kansas State Wildcats. Arizona's white throwback helmet features red, white and blue stripes in the middle, blue paw prints and a gleaming red "A" on the side. History never looked so good. 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/DatkPNf39V- Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) September 10, 2025 The Wildcats aren't the only squad bringing the heat with their uniforms this weekend.

Louisville's two-run single by Zion Rose turned a slim deficit into a substantial advantage, paving the way for an impressive comeback victory over Arizona.