ASU Basketball: Sun Devils steadfast in AP Top 25

Last week it was a milestone. This week it’s the norm.

The Arizona State Sun Devils woke up to a No. 3 ranking with six first-place votes in Christmas morning’s AP Top 25, keeping the same rank as a week prior and one more vote for first. Third ties ASU’s highest ranking in program history (2017, 1981 and 1963).

Just as the Sun Devils remained constant, the top four did as well: Villanova (1), Michigan State (2), Arizona State (3) and Duke (4).

North Carolina dropped from five to 13th and Miami fell from sixth to 15th, making room for Texas A&M (5) and Xavier (6) to move up three spots each.

Arizona inched from 18th to 17th, while no other Pac-12 teams ranked. The Sun Devils and Wildcats will meet both ranked for the first time since March 11, 1995 when ASU won a 103-98 double-overtime thriller at the McKale Center.

The Sun Devils and Wildcats meet on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks.