Associated Press
Arizona Daily Wildcat
February 24, 1998

Duke's back at No. 1, Arizona up to No. 2

NEW YORK (AP)-Being No. 1 is old news for Duke.

The Blue Devils moved into the top spot for the third time this season yesterday. The jump from second to No. 1 came following a 120-84 victory over then-No. 12 UCLA Sunday and then-No. 1 North Carolina's 86-72 loss to North Carolina State Saturday.

You'll have to forgive Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski if he wasn't thrilled by the move to the top of the AP college basketball poll. After all, the previous two stints ended with losses to Michigan and North Carolina.

"We still haven't gotten a trophy for the last two times," Krzyzewski said. "We're still waiting for it. All you do at No. 1 is eventually you get beat. That's of little consequence right now."

The first game as No. 1 this time will be Wednesday against Georgia Tech. Then comes the rematch with North Carolina Saturday.

Duke (25-2) was No. 1 for two weeks before losing to Michigan and then three weeks before falling to North Carolina. The Blue Devils received 42 first-place votes and 1,708 points from a national media panel.

Arizona (24-3), the only team other than Duke and North Carolina to be No. 1 this season, moved from third to second after extending the nation's longest winning streak to 17. The Wildcats were No. 1 on 19 ballots and had 1,652 points, 18 more than North Carolina (26-2), which had been No. 1 for the last two weeks after holding the top spot for five weeks earlier in the season.

The Tar Heels got six first-place votes and their drop to third denied a 1-vs.-2 rematch with Duke. North Carolina won 97-73 Feb. 5.

It would have been the fourth 1-2 rematch in a season and just the second in the regular season. Notre Dame and UCLA split 1-vs.-2 games a week apart in 1973-74.

Kansas (29-3) held fourth, receiving the other three first-place votes and 1,584 points, 180 more than Utah, which moved up one spot to fifth.

Connecticut and Kentucky each jumped one place to sixth and seventh, while Stanford moved up two spots to eighth. Princeton held at No. 9 and Michigan State jumped four places to round out the Top Ten.

Purdue, which lost both games it played last week, fell six places to lead the Second Ten and was followed by Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas Christian, New Mexico, Cincinnati, UCLA, West Virginia and Massachusetts.

The last five teams were Michigan, Illinois, Syracuse, Temple and Oklahoma State.